Between a Rock and a Hard Place
by JazzieG
Summary: A day out at the beach with Grace doesn't quite work out the way Danny planned! Of course Danny should have expected it since the pineapple infested hell hole hated him!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Hawaii 5-0 or it's characters. I make no profit from this. (Believe me if I did then I wouldn't be wondering how I'm going to afford the dental work I need!)**

**A/N:** So here we are, another story! This one is NOT the one inspired by Irene Claire. I don't know why but this one took off quicker than the other one, go figure.

Chapter 1

It was early on a Saturday morning but for once Danny Williams was up and out of the house without complaint. What had brought about this turn of events? Grace Williams, his ten year old daughter for whom he'd do anything. Given it was his first weekend with her in three weeks thanks to the combination of her going on vacation with her Mom and Step-Stan and back to back cases Danny had let her decide what she wanted to do. Grace had wanted to go to the beach… early! Not just any beach though, oh no. It had to be one that Steve McGarrett had taken them to. It was near Kailua but was off the beaten track, meaning there would be few people, especially at stupid o'clock in the morning. There was a chance of seeing dolphins which was what had triggered Grace's particular desire to go there. She had asked if Steve could come with them but Danny knew Lieutenant Catherine Rollins was in town so had told her that the SEAL would be busy only managing to pacify her when he told her he'd try to arrange to meet with them for lunch.

That was how Danny found himself at the beach, which he hated, with his daughter, who he loved, at seven o'clock in the morning. The area was almost deserted with only one other car in the parking area. Danny got out of the car as Grace scrambled to get out behind him and he stood, taking a deep breath. He'd never admit it to anyone out loud but the early morning sun was nice and the beach beautiful. The sunlight glistened off the waves as he scanned the horizon followed by the beach. Too much time spent with Steve meant he always scanned an area before proceeding into it.

"Come _on_ Danno," Grace tugged insistently at his hand, pulling him towards the trunk of the Camaro so that they could get their things out.

"OK, OK," Danny looked down at his daughter and laughed as he allowed her to drag him to the back of the car. They gathered a back pack with towels, blanket, sun cream, a book for Danny and a comic for Grace, various paraphernalia for building sandcastles along with a cool bag with snacks and water in. Danny checked that he had his cell which he then slid into the pocket of the back pack before taking Grace's hand and walking onto the sand.

This early in the morning the sand was cool under his feet; the fine grain was soft and gave easily under their feet as they looked for _the_ spot.

"Monkey, I think that this will do fine," Danny told his daughter after they'd stopped for the third time.

"Danno, it's got to be the perfect spot if we want to be able to see the dolphins coming into the cove," responded Grace, using her _you're being silly Danno_ voice. One he was sure she'd picked up from her mother.

"Well what about this spot is different from the last?"

"The sun was at the wrong angle, we wouldn't be able to see the water breaking as the dolphin's dorsal fin breaks the surface."

This was all McGarrett's doing, he was sure of it. His beautiful, intelligent daughter just hung on his every word when he started talking about the local wildlife and customs, "So, is this the spot?" he asked trying to be patient.

Grace smiled up at him, "Yup, this is it!" she dropped her things to the sand and helped Danny pull out the towels and the blanket, laying it out with the back pack holding down one corner and the cool bag the another. They then sunk down on to the blanket as Danny helped Grace off with her dress and started to smear her with sun cream. When he was sure that he had covered every part of her exposed skin he removed his own t-shirt and smothered himself with the cream, Grace helping him to do his back. He really didn't need Steve, Chin and Kono laughing at him if he got sunburn.

The pair sat quietly side by side enjoying the peace, the only other people on the beach a small group of teenagers down the far end near the bottom of the cliffs that hemmed in one end of the cove. He could hear their laughter as they messed around in the rock pools but it wasn't loud enough to really interfere with the general feeling of tranquillity of the area.

They both watched the ocean intently for signs of the pod of dolphins that frequented this particular cove. Grace was the first to spot what appeared to be a flash of light, which was actually the reflection on a dorsal fin as it broke the surface.

"There Danno!" Grace whispered in awe as she pointed in the direction of what she'd seen.

Squinting into the distance he didn't see anything for a second but then another dolphin broke the surface and he saw the familiar flash that Steve had shown them to look out for, "I see Monkey. Let's walk down to the shore, but remember you aren't to go too far in, these are wild dolphins not ones like we saw at the hotel."

"I know Danno, no deeper than just above my knees and I'm to stand still," she rolled her eyes having been through it lots of times with him just since waking up this morning.

"Don't roll your eyes at me or we'll pack up, get back in the car and head home! There will be no lunch with Uncle Steve and Catherine either!" Danny wasn't a particularly strict father but he didn't expect his daughter to disregard his instructions and her safety was too important to allow her with getting away with being so disrespectful.

"Sorry Danno, it's just you've told me the rules lots, so has Uncle Steve. I promise to do as you tell me."

"Good, let's go," he smiled down at her, took her hand and they both hurried down the beach.

They entered the water and just stood there watching the little flashes become larger until they could actually make out the dorsal fins of several dolphins. Danny had allowed Grace in up to mid-thigh; he stood next to her but very slightly in front in case one of the dolphins took it into their head to rush at her, though he thought that was doubtful since these creatures were extremely intelligent and would know that the pair standing still in the water meant no harm.

The group of teenagers had seen what they were doing and joined them, "What ya doing?" one of them asked.

"Waiting for dolphins," replied Grace looking from her Dad to the teenager that had spoken.

Danny looked over the group warily. They appeared to be around seventeen, there were three boys and three girls but they all smiled and looked friendly enough, "Yeah a friend told us that a pod comes in to this cove fairly regularly and my daughter loves dolphins," Danny shrugged in a _what can you do_ manner as he acknowledged them.

"Would you mind if we stood with you?" asked one of the girls.

"It's a public beach," replied Danny with a smile, "Feel free. Have you done this before?"

The six teenagers shook their heads so Danny went through the rules with them and all eight stood there silently just watching. Before long the dorsal fins became distinct and they could see the pod as they rose out of the water. There were seven dolphins in total and they were definitely heading the way of the group.

"This is so cool," whispered the same girl that asked to stand with them, the awe clear in her voice as finally the dolphins came almost within touching distance.

"Do NOT try to touch them," cautioned Danny, knowing the temptation to touch the creatures was overwhelming as the dolphins clicked and swam near them.

"Look Danno, a baby!"

"I see it Monkey. Remember what Uncle Steve said though, if they have a calf with them they'll be more protective."

"Just like you Danno!" Grace grinned up at him and Danny flushed slightly as he saw the grins of the teenagers.

"Not a word," he pointed his finger at them, though the smile took away the threatening gesture and the group all mimed zipping their mouths.

They all stood there for nearly thirty minutes as the dolphins visited with them. The calf became brave enough to approach Grace and nudged gently at her leg under the water causing her to give a quiet squeal of glee. Danny held his breath waiting for the adult members of the pod to react but it was almost as if they were looking on at the scene indulgently as they just drifted around. Then there were a few clicks and the pod swam away, much to everyone's disappointment.

The teenagers stood and chatted with the father and daughter for a few more minutes before heading back to the base of the cliffs leaving Danny and Grace to return to their blanket where they pulled out the water and took a drink.

"That was amazing!"

"Yeah, it was."

"I'm glad Uncle Steve told us about this place, thanks for bringing me again Danno," Grace knelt up and placed a kiss on her father's cheek.

"I'm glad too and you're welcome Monkey."

"Can I build a sandcastle now?"

"Of course you can, just stay out of the water unless I'm with you, OK? I'm just going to read for a little bit then we can go for a swim," Danny loved watching the dolphins but he wanted to give them time to have the water to themselves for a while.

Grace was immediately intent on gathering her sandcastle building tools and played quietly nearby as Danny stuck his nose in his book, enjoying the sun and the peaceful beach with the background of the teenagers laughing in the distance.

-5-0-

A scream pulled Danny out of his book and he immediately glanced at his daughter who was looking down the beach in the direction the sound had come from. Turning his head Danny saw the group of teenagers gathered and they were moving frantically until one of them turned and started running towards him.

Danny scrambled to his feet grabbing the back pack as he did so and rummaging for his cell sensing that whatever had happened, it wasn't good.

One of the boys was yelling as he was running, "Help! Please help her."

"Come on Monkey," he grabbed his daughter's hand as he ran down the beach to meet him, "What's wrong?"

"A rock fell and Sabrina is trapped!"

"Alright come on," Danny ran towards the group, keeping his pace slow enough that Grace could keep up as there was no way he was leaving his daughter on the beach without supervision.

They reached the bottom of the cliffs where Danny could now see a series of rock pools, the teenagers had obviously been playing in them. The trapped teenager, Sabrina, recalled Danny, was thrashing about in the water; he needed to calm her down.

"Grace, you stand right here," he stopped and planted her near the cliff away from the water then handed her his phone, "Call 911 and tell them what's happening. Can you do that?"

"Yes Daddy," Grace's bottom lip trembled, but she was her father's daughter and took the phone and immediately did as she'd been told.

Danny waded into the water, climbing over the edge of the rock pool; some of the rocks were jagged whilst others had been smoothed by the constant ebb and flow of the tide so Danny picked his way carefully over but was glad he'd had the presence of mind to slip his beach shoes on which protected his feet from the lava rock that hadn't smoothed out completely. Glancing back he saw Grace on the phone and knew she would do as he'd asked. Turning his attention back to the task at hand he spoke to the girl in the water, "Hey Sabrina, I'm Danny and we'll have you out of here in no time," he told her smiling reassuringly, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I slipped and one of the rocks moved and it's trapped my ankle," tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Alright, you," he pointed at one of the boys who had stepped back to allow him room, "What's your name?"

"Al," the dark haired, dark eyed teenager was the calmest of the bunch.

"Al, come and sit with Sabrina while I see what's going on here," he instructed. Once the boy was sitting on the sand next to his friend and holding her hand Danny ducked under the water. It only took a couple of minutes to see that the rock had merely caught her ankle in a gap too small for her to pull out of. Resurfacing and taking a deep breath he spoke again, "It doesn't look like there's any damage but we'll be able to see more once we get you out. You," he pointed at another of the boys, this one was blonde haired and green eyed with a much more muscular build than the others.

"Don," he supplied.

"Don, I need you to help me. I'm going to try to lift the rock enough so that you can slide Sabrina's ankle out, OK?"

"Got it," he nodded and joined Danny. The two of them took deep breaths and went under.

Danny got his hands round the small and luckily mostly smooth but heavy rock and heaved as much as he could. Don pushed from the side that was against Sabrina's ankle and once he felt it move he gently eased her out and Danny dropped the rock.

Surfacing Danny pushed his hair out of his face, "Everybody back on shore," he instructed as Don scooped Sabrina up like she weighed nothing and with the assistance of the two other boys climbed out of the rock pool and waded back to the shore near Grace. Danny could hear sirens in the distance and sighed with relief.

He helped the other two girls over to the side of the natural pool; both of them were understandably upset. The first one made it over the edge of the pool just as there was a deep rumbling sound; Danny glanced behind him to see the start of a small avalanche of rocks and threw himself on the second girl, using his own body to protect her from any debris. Danny thought he heard Grace scream before all he could hear was the sound of water rushing in his ears.

-5-0-

**A/N:** I had the pleasure of experiencing wild dolphins up close and person in a cove in Australia as well as going out on a boat and having them swimming alongside. It was truly an amazing experience. Next time I visit my brother out there I plan to go swimming with them!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for the alerts and reviews. You guys make the effort so worthwhile.

Chapter 2

Danny spluttered as he resurfaced, pulling the girl with him. Willing hands were there to help as he released his hold on her, giving her a quick once over and seeing that she was unharmed, if a little frightened. Right now he wanted nothing more than to get out of this rock pool and go hug his daughter who must be scared out of her mind. He went to move and realised that his leg was stuck; he pulled at it again and found that all that did was cause a spike of pain in his calf muscle. Now _he _had become the trapped.

"Hey, are you OK?" Al reappeared at the edge of the pool.

"Is everyone alright?" Danny ignored the question.

"Yeah, everyone's fine. Ambulance just pulled up and Don is taking Sabrina over to be checked out. Now, what about you?" Al wasn't to be deterred.

"It would seem that I'm now the one in need of assistance, my leg is trapped at the calf," Danny told him.

"Crap," murmured Al as he went to enter the water.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Danny.

"I'm going to check and see how badly trapped you are," Al replied as if it was obvious.

"No, you're not!"

"Sorry?"

"It's clear that the area is unstable. You are not putting yourself at risk to try to help me. Now, get your ass back to the shore and keep an eye on my little girl. I'm assuming the Coast Guard will have been requested for the initial report so let the professionals handle it."

"But…"

"No buts. Your job, right now, is to go back to my daughter, Grace, and tell her Danno loves her. Then tell her to call her Uncle Steve and _don't_ let her out of your sight until he arrives, got it?"

"Yes Sir," Al didn't like it but he knew authority when he heard it.

Danny didn't like it much either. He was trusting Grace to a stranger. Yes, the kid seemed like one of the good ones from the little time he'd spent with him during the dolphin watching experience but he would be much happier when Steve arrived.

-5-0-

Steve was enjoying a leisurely start to his day, for once. He was enjoying breakfast out on his lanai with Catherine Rollins, the two chatting amiably about mutual acquaintances, catching up on the time they'd been apart. The quiet morning was shattered when his cell rang.

He looked apologetically at Catherine and grabbed his cell off the table; checking the caller ID he smiled when he saw it was Danny, "Hey Danny, what's up?" the smile soon dropped off his face when instead of his best friend's voice he heard a distraught Grace.

"Uncle Steve…"

"Grace? What's wrong?" he was immediately getting up and heading inside to get the keys to the truck, Catherine hot on his heels.

"I don't know," her response was muffled with the sound of her crying.

"Where's Danno?"

"In the rock pool," she replied. Steve heard a voice in the background and hoped to God it was Danny and then another voice came on the phone.

"Sir, are you Grace's Uncle Steve?"

"I am; who are you?"

"My name's Al Shepherd. Danny helped a friend of mine, but there's been another accident and he asked me to keep an eye on his daughter. Can you come?"

"Where are you?" Al told him where they were, "I know it, I'm on my way and Al, don't let anything happen to my niece!"

"No Sir," replied Al before hanging up.

"Steve?" Cath asked as she climbed into the passenger side of the truck.

"I dunno Cath, there's been some kind of accident when Danny was helping someone, but it's not good if someone other than Danny is watching Grace right now," he flipped on the lights and sirens as he pulled out of the drive.

-5-0-

It hadn't really been long between Al disappearing to go back to the shore and someone from the Coast Guard appearing at the pool, but to Danny it felt like a lifetime. He was sitting on the floor of the rock pool with his arms behind him supporting his weight. The ocean was only up to his chest, luckily, but he was starting to feel his skin prune and his right calf was throbbing; his only concern, though, was for his daughter.

"Hey," greeted a man as climbed over into the pool, "I'm Makaio, but you can call me Mak, I'm a medic as well as a rescue specialist with the Coast Guard and you are?"

"Hi Mak, I'm Danny Williams. Can you tell me if my daughter's OK?"

"Which one is your daughter?"

"Unless there are other kids on the beach that I've not seen she's the youngest one, dark brown hair in braids, bubble gum pink swimsuit."

"Ah yes, Grace. She's with one of my colleagues now and is apparently waiting for Uncle Steve," Mak informed him as he waded over to kneel down in the water next to Danny.

"That would be her, she's OK though right?"

"Yes Danny, she's fine. Naturally she's upset. How about I concentrate on you for now?"

"I'm fine."

"Says the man sitting in a rock pool with his leg trapped under a rock," Mak grinned, "At least that's what I've been told. If you're just sitting here enjoying the warm water and sunshine I'll just get out of your way," he indicated with his thumb over his shoulder to point in the direction of the shore.

Danny groaned, "How did I end up with a comedian as my rescuer?"

"You're just lucky I guess!" Mak smiled again before turning serious, "Now do you want to tell me what happened?"

Danny filled him in on rescuing Sabrina and then told him how rocks had seemed to come loose from the cliff above them leading to him being trapped by his right calf.

"Alright, I'm going to take a look at the situation," Mak pulled a mask out of a water proof bag Danny hadn't noticed him carrying. He put it on and then disappeared under the water. He felt the man touching his leg and hissed at the gentle pull before he resurfaced, "You, my friend, are well and truly stuck!"

"How much damage to my leg?" asked Danny perceptively.

"There's a small pile of rocks and your leg is at the bottom of that pile, from what I can tell the weight of the smaller ones is compressing a larger one onto your calf muscle. Given this is volcanic rock you have some cuts but they don't appear to be too deep."

"OK…" before Danny could ask any more he heard the distinct sound of his daughter yelling _Uncle Steve_ carry across the water to where he sat, "Erm, I think my friend has arrived. Could you please do me a favour?"

"If I can," agreed Mak.

"You need to cut him off at the pass. His name is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, he's the head of the Governor's Task Force and a Navy SEAL; he is going to get all up in your business!"

Mak chuckled; he'd heard rumours about the task force members, "What do you suggest?"

"Get to shore to meet him and fill him in before he can try to take over your rescue or he'll go all Rambo on you! He'll only be distracted by the bundle of joy that is my daughter for a few minutes before his laser focus is turned my way."

"Alright, you sit tight and don't go anywhere," Mak grinned at him as he waded to the side and climbed out.

"Comedian," grumbled Danny, shifting slightly to ease his aching arm muscles.

-5-0-

Steve came to a wheel screeching stop in the parking area near Danny's Camaro, jumped out of his truck and ran down the beach to where he could see a group of people standing around, one of whom looked a lot like Grace Williams. He took in the sight of the ambulance and Coast Guard vehicle but was focused on getting to Grace.

"Uncle Steve!" the very recognisable voice of Grace echoed across the beach and he saw her pull away from the member of the Coast Guard she was standing with and start running towards him. He dropped to his knees as he reached her and pulled her into a tight embrace, "Danno's hurt!"

"It's alright Gracie," he soothed glancing up at Cath who had just reached their side, "You remember my friend Cath Rollins right?"

Grace glanced up from where her head had been buried in her Uncle's shoulder and gave a watery shy smile, "Hi."

"Hey Grace," she ran a hand gently over the little girl's hair.

"Why don't we go and find out what's happening?" he suggested, nodding towards the group standing not far away watching.

"OK," replied Grace, not releasing her hold on him.

Steve stood up with her still in his arms and stalked towards where all the action seemed to be. He shifted Grace onto his left hip and held out his right hand to the female Coast Guard operative that had been standing with Grace, "Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett and Lieutenant Catherine Rollins."

The red haired woman reached out and shook both of their hands, "Ensign Kalena Rodriguez, my partner is just assessing the situation. Ah, here he comes now."

Steve turned to see a broad shouldered man; clearly a native Hawaiian climbing over the edge of one of the numerous rock pools that he knew littered the edge of this cove. He jogged over and held out his hand, "Lieutenant Makaio Kahike, please call me Mak. You must be Lieutenant Commander McGarrett," at the raised eyebrow Mak elaborated, "Danny told me he heard you arrive and said I should probably come and speak to you if I didn't want you to go 'all Rambo on me'."

Steve chuckled and took the proffered hand, "That's right, I'm Steve," he then introduced Cath and they also shook. Pleasantries over Steve got to the point, "How's Danny?"

Glancing at Grace, Mak kept it simple not wanting to frighten her, "His right calf is trapped under a fall of rocks. He has some cuts but it doesn't appear that anything is broken as far as I can see."

"Well that's good," Steve sighed running a hand through his hair as he hitched Grace higher on his hip, "What's the plan of action?"

"How about we leave Grace here with Kalena and Cath, I'll take you over and we can discuss that," suggested Mak, clearly not wanting to say any more in front of Grace.

"OK," Steve nodded his agreement, "Grace, I want you to wait here with Cath for me."

"I want to stay with you!"

"Sweetheart I need to go check on Danno. I'm only over there," he pointed in the direction of the rock pool, which was only a few hundred yards away, "You can shout if you need me OK?"

"OK," Grace reached out for Cath, who was surprised both by the action and how good Steve was with this child, "Tell Danno I love him."

"Of course," he planted a kiss on her head and on Cath's cheek before following Mak back to the pool, "What weren't you saying?"

"There's already been one rock fall; the area's unstable so anything we do we're going to have to be careful about it."

"But…?"

"Danny has already been trapped for thirty minutes, now that doesn't sound like a lot of time but if he stays trapped for much longer, because he has a crush injury, he's at risk of crush syndrome which will lead to reperfusion injury. That means when the pressure is released potassium will flood his bloodstream which can lead to renal failure or death."

"So what's the next step?"

"I'm going to take this bag," he picked up a waterproof back pack, that was clearly for medical kit, that was sitting just out of reach of the waves that were hitting the shore and threw it over his shoulder, "give Danny some treatment and then look at the best way to remove the rocks."

"I'm coming with you."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Mak replied before wading back out and climbing into the rock pool, Steve right behind him.

-5-0-

Danny could hear the voices coming from the beach but he still felt very alone sitting here in this rock pool with sides too tall for him to see over the top. He was pretty sure he could hear his friend's distinctive voice in amongst the others. At least Grace had someone she knew with her now, which was a relief.

Shifting again Danny groaned as he felt the rocks trapping his leg move and scrape at his already abused limb, _'Better not do that again,'_ he thought to himself.

His arms were aching from supporting his weight and he carefully moved so he was only supported by one and flexed the arm he wasn't leaning on and then did the same with the other side. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, this had so not been how his day off had meant to go! A splash of water hitting his face made him open his eyes thinking that perhaps Mak had returned; he hadn't. That was when Danny noticed that on the far side that looked out towards the ocean the lower wall had water splashing over it slightly, which caused him to furrow his brow, that hadn't been happening earlier he was sure. Looking down he noticed something else which caused his heart to clench in his chest, it was all he could do not to just try to tear his leg out from under the rocks and drag himself out of this rock pool.

A noise from behind him made him look over his shoulder and he saw Mak climbing over the top carrying a back pack and being trailed by a predictably shirtless Steve. He should have guessed that Steve wouldn't stand on the side lines and watch.

"Steven, where's Gracie?" he asked before the men could even reach his side.

"She's with Cath. How are you doing Danno?"

"But she's OK?"

Mak just rolled his eyes having already told his patient that his daughter was fine; Steve smiled and reassured him, "Yes, she's fine. Upset that you seem to have managed to get hurt but she's safe."

"That's good."

"Right Danny, I'm going to start you on oxygen and get an IV going and then we'll look at the best way to extract you. Any questions?"

"No, but I do think I should point something out," Danny told him as he watched Mak unzip the back pack and pull out what he needed, handing the back pack to Steve to hold. He set the oxygen tank on a conveniently placed rock and slipped the mask over Danny's head and settled it on his face, turning the oxygen flow on, then indicated that he needed access to one of his hands, "Hello, I said I need to point something out," the words were now muffled behind the mask.

"In a second Danny," Mak said as he took the offered hand, "Sharp scratch," then the needle was in and a bag of saline had been connected and was being held aloft by Steve.

"Can I put my hand back in the water with this, 'cos you know I was kind of using it to prop me up?"

"Yes Danny, that's a waterproof dressing so you'll be fine. Now what did you want to point out."

"The tides coming in," he stated simply looking from Steve to Mak.

Both men squinted but saw no outward signs of it; of course they hadn't been sitting in this pool for over thirty minutes with not much else to do but look at the water.

"What makes you say that Danno?" asked Steve cautiously.

"When I first sat up after the rock fall the water was up to my chest, below my nipples, now it's above my nipples! Simple really."

Mak and Steve exchanged worried looks that weren't lost on Danny. He was really in trouble here, he could tell.

-5-0-

A/N: I bet none of you guessed that Danny was going to get whumped, right?! What do you mean you ALL knew? OK, I think I have a problem, it's DWOCD. Danny Whump Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. If I'm not getting him into trouble I get withdrawals!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you for review, alerts, favourites and reading! Not long till the new series and to top it off I've ordered Season 2 to be delivered to my door on Monday! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. To Guest who commented on Chin and Kono not being there... they weren't forgotten.

A little side note! I started a forum called DWOCD Support Group. Please come and join it then hopefully we can get some good conversations going there!

Chapter 3

Mak once again ducked under the water to assess the situation with Steve following him after placing the medical back pack and IV bag up on a ledge out of reach of the water. It wasn't long before the pair emerged.

"Danny, have you moved?" asked Mak.

"Er, yeah, my ass was going numb so I tried to shift a little," he shrugged sheepishly.

"Don't do it again," ordered Mak sternly.

"Would someone like to tell me what's going on?"

Steve silently sat down in the water behind Danny and pushed up against his friend's back with his legs either side of Danny's then encouraged the man to lean back against his chest so that he could take the weight for the time being, "I know Mak has already told you that your leg is completely stuck. We're going to need to move some of the smaller rocks before we can get to the one that's actually trapping your leg."

"OK."

"I just want to give you a break from supporting yourself for a bit so Mak is going to start removing some now but he'll have to do it slowly so no getting impatient."

"Got it, patient is my middle name."

Steve huffed at that and dearly wished that there was someone else that could be in here with them right now, but the Ensign had to stay on shore to coordinate requests from Mak via the radio that was in the medical back pack. Someone must have heard his wish though because a familiar voice sounded behind them.

"Is this a private party or can anyone join in?"

"Chin am I glad to see you," Steve told the older man, "Can you come and support Danny so that I can help Mak move some of the rocks?"

"Mak? Sure," replied Chin as he moved to where Steve and Danny were sat. The two men swapped places just as Mak broke the surface.

The Coast Guard Lieutenant looked curiously at the new face but said nothing as Steve introduced them. He nodded a greeting and then both he and Steve returned to the laborious task of moving the smaller rocks so that they could gain access to the large one on Danny's leg.

"You're getting as bad as Steve for finding trouble," Chin told Danny as he leaned against his chest.

"Hey, I was helping someone. Steve looks for trouble, trouble finds me!"

"Yeah yeah, sure brah. You keep telling yourself that."

"Hang on a minute, how did you know we were here?"

"Grace gave Cath your phone and she called us."

"Us?"

"Kono's here too."

"Of course she is. Don't you people have anything better to do with your time than come to my rescue?"

"Nope. Hey, you're saving me from a long list of chores Malia gave me before she left for work this morning!"

"Glad I could be of service," he winced as the large rock dug further into his leg.

Mak and Steve surfaced several times as Danny and Chin kept talking about nothing much. Chin was just trying to keep Danny's mind occupied and away from thoughts of the rising tide.

"Alright," said Mak after twenty minutes, "That's got rid of the smaller rocks."

Steve stood next to him and glanced around as if making sure that nothing had changed. Of course it had, the tide was still coming in so the level of the water was getting higher with every passing minute. The tide had probably been coming in for hours, but it was only when it reached the level of the lowest wall of the rock pool that it began to affect their rescue. Steve could tell from the tide mark on the rocks that if they didn't get Danny out before high tide was reached then his brother would be completely submerged. Looking at Mak he could tell the man knew it too and it didn't look like they had that long before the ocean pushed its way over the rock walls and completely flooded the pool.

"What's next?" Danny wanted to know as he leaned against Chin looking at the two standing men.

Mak crouched down next to him and started to check Danny's vitals as he spoke, "Steve and I are going to figure out the best way to get that rock off your leg, but I need to finish checking you over first."

"OK," Danny looked a little concerned but let the man do his job.

"Danny you've been trapped here for around an hour now, this puts you at risk of something called Crush Syndrome when we move that rock off your leg," Mak told him once he'd finished.

"Do I even want to know what Crush Syndrome is and what it means for me?"

"It's when you experience a crush injury, which is the compression of an area, such as a leg, that causes your muscles to swell this in turn can lead to shock and renal failure."

"OK, but what does that mean in terms of my situation?"

"Before we remove the rock and extract you I'm going to increase your fluid intake via IV by putting one in your other hand as well then I'm going to open them both wide which will basically overload you on fluid, I'll also give you IV sodium bicarbonate. That should hopefully prevent hypovolemia, which will leave you with low blood pressure and tachycardia if we don't stop it."

"If you don't increase my fluid intake?"

"When the rock putting pressure on your leg is lifted it will cause toxins to enter your bloodstream, which will likely lead to complete kidney failure and possibly death. If I overload your system with fluid it should help flush the toxins out of your system quickly therefore preventing damage."

"You know I really like the idea of having another needle inserted and more fluids running, here you go." Danny quickly held out his right hand to allow Mak to insert another IV.

Steve watched as Mak quickly inserted the needle and hung another bag of saline, swapping the other bag out for a fresh one as well. The two men then started discussing the best way to extract Danny from his predicament.

"Do you think we could just lift it off him, between us I mean?"

"The danger of us dropping it back down on him and causing more damage is too high," responded Mak, "I think we need to get something under the rock to lever it up and then pull Danny out."

"Guys, whatever you're going to do, make it quick," Chin told them. They both turned round and saw that the water was splashing into Danny's face more regularly now.

Mak pulled out the radio from the medical bag, "Kalena, get me a length of pipe from the truck."

"Copy that Mak, Jeff and Dom just arrived; do you want me to send them in to help?"

"Yes please, we need to be quick."

"Jeff and Dom are coming your way with some gear."

"Thanks Kalena."

Two men appeared over the rim of the rock pool and brief introductions were made. Then Mak, Jeff, Dom and Steve all ducked under the water with a long length of pipe in Mak's hand. There was just about enough room for all of them. A few minutes later they all resurfaced.

Danny's eyes were closed; his body tense pressed up against Chin's who was also starting to get a face full of water every time a fresh wave rolled in.

"Danny?" Steve scrunched down in order to speak to his friend, a look of worry passed between him and Chin.

"You've got constipated face, babe," Danny huffed out when he opened his eyes and looked at his friend.

"Well you have a tone that tells me you're in pain," responded Steve.

"I have a rock on my leg, Steven," he paused to take a deep breath, inhaling the now much appreciated additional oxygen, "It _moved_ ergo, pain!"

"Shit, sorry man," Steve ran a hand through his hair. None of the four men had thought the rock had budged when they put the pipe under it to haul on it.

"I'm going to give you some morphine Danny, it'll have to be a low dose given we can't have you falling asleep on us in the water, but it should take the edge off," Mak told him as he waded to the medical kit, pulled out what he needed and reached down for Danny's hand. He thoroughly cleaned the IV port then inserted the syringe and administered the dose.

A particularly large wave rolled in and washed over Danny, soaking his head and causing him to splutter under the mask.

"Alright we need a better plan. We're going to need to dig trenches under the rock at either end and insert pipes further underneath so that we can get the leverage we need," stated Jeff.

"That's going to take time we don't have," replied Dom.

"What about bringing in lifting gear?" suggested Chin as he turned away to prevent getting another mouthful of ocean.

"That'll take even longer," Mak informed him, looking at his patient with concern, the struggle for Danny now was more keeping his head above water and the oxygen mask only provided a modicum of protection.

"Do you have scuba gear?" asked Steve.

"Of course," Jeff answered, almost affronted at the question.

"Get two sets and bring them back here," Steve ordered, apparently in full on SEAL mode, "If you have the full face masks that would be better."

Jeff and Dom both looked to Mak, who was in fact their boss after all. They received a nod and they scrambled over the edge of the rock pool to go back to their vehicle for the requested equipment.

Steve squatted back by Danny, trying to block the now consistent splashing of the water in his friend's face, "Danno, we can't move the rock without digging trenches to allow the pipes in far enough to give us more leverage, we've run out of time bud."  
"Knew this island hated me. Been trying to kill me since I got here," responded Danny bleakly.

"The island isn't trying to kill you Danny," Steve rolled his eyes, not really having time for this but seeing that it was somehow helping his brother he let it slide.

"First you with your Rambo insanity, not to mention the criminals who take great delight in using me for target practice and now the damn island's dropped a rock on me and is trying to drown me!"

"Danno, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I have a plan."

"You? You have a plan? That's gotta be a first. Isn't it normally shoot first and ask questions later? Not sure how that helps here."

"Really Danny, now is not the time for this!" admonished Chin.

"Chin's right, you keep taking nice easy breaths of that oxygen and listen to me. We're going to set you up with scuba gear, Chin too. That way when the water comes up higher you'll still be able to breathe. It won't be pure oxygen like you are on now, but it's better than the alternative."  
Danny's eyes widened, "Are you nuts? Honestly you expect me to just sit here and let the water cover my head, really?"

"Danny we've got no choice, we're out of options!" Steve was practically growling in frustration. He knew that what was happening was scary for Danny but they didn't have any more time left to argue. Jeff and Dom were coming back with the gear.

"You'll be able to breathe without any problem Danny," assured Chin, "I'll be right here with you."

The New Jersey native knew this was going to be a bad experience, but a bad experience was better than dying, "Alright, you win."

"I always do Danno," grinned Steve as he took one of the sets of gear off Jeff and started getting it ready. "So, they've got full face masks which will be better for you, I'm just going to take off your oxygen mask, slide this one over your head," he showed Danny the mask in his hand, "then turn the tank on. Simple."

"Simple he says," mumbled Danny. He was sure having the face mask on was going to feel almost claustrophobic but he had no choice, "Go ahead."

"It'll be alright Danny," Steve looked at him, "Trust me, I'm a SEAL," he grinned as he took off the oxygen mask and handed it to Mak, watching Danny roll his eyes, "OK, here we go," he pulled the scuba mask over Danny's head, holding it in place with one hand and using his other to adjust the straps at the back making sure they were tight and secure and the mask was properly sealed against Danny's skin, "Alright?" he asked.

Danny just nodded his head and closed his eyes, trying not to panic at his new narrowed view of the world. It was an uncomfortable feeling for him with the snug fit of it. He knew, logically, that this was a good thing, no water was getting in, but it just made him feel so closed in. The water had now covered his chin and waves were more regularly coming into the pool high enough to cover his head, filling his ears with the sound of nothing but water. It didn't seem to take long before he was completely submerged. Trying to push the panic back he thought about anything other than where he was, which meant he zoned out unable to hear the conversation going on above him anymore.

"Steve, I think you should be the one to sit with him," Chin told his boss and friend as he shifted behind Danny so that he was on his knees allowing him to still have this conversation but maintain contact and support of the submerged member of their ohana.

"What? No, you're doing fine and you've used the scuba gear before."

"I have but he's starting to panic and you're more likely to be able to calm him than me."

"If that happens then we'll swap," Steve just wanted to be, _needed_ to be, part of the team working to release Danny.

"There will be no time for that; you know that as well as I do. If he panics he's going to thrash around and try pulling his leg out and all that will do is open the wounds on his leg and make them deeper, possibly even cause another rock fall."

"He trusts you, it'll be fine."

"I know he trusts me, but you have a better chance of keeping him calm than I do. Besides I have experience in these kinds of situations, do you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Underwater rescue? Of course I've got experience, I'm a SEAL!"

"No, I mean of working around a rock fall like this."

Steve hesitated. Yes, he had experience of underwater rescue, had been involved in more than one op that had led to men sustaining injuries whilst in the water, but not because of a rock fall, "No."

"I do. Please, let me help the Coast Guard team while you look after Danny. I can feel the tension radiating off him and it's likely to get worse before it gets better."

"Alright, OK, you win," Steve held out his hand for the gear, which Chin gave him with a sigh of relief. He knew this was going to be difficult for Steve, but they needed to do what was best for Danny right now.

"Once you've got the mask on you'll be able to talk to him," Mak told him, "there's a radio built in and Kalena's radio will be linked in to you both and you'll be able to keep updated on our progress."

"Thanks," Steve nodded and then quickly placed the mask over his head and secured it, "Hey Danno," he spoke to try and get his brother's attention, it didn't seem to work. Kneeling next to Chin the support of Danny's weight was shifted easily between the two men. Steve gradually adjusted his position so he once again had his legs either side of Danny and had him pressed against his chest. The two scuba tanks were lying on the sand at the bottom of the rock pool next to them with the conveniently longer hoses there was no need of the extra weight and restrictions of having them on their backs.

"Danny, come on man, talk to me," Steve rubbed his hands up and down Danny's arms trying to ground him. He felt the shudders running through the other's man's body and if possible pulled him closer against his chest, "It's alright Danno; I'm here, just talk to me!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Another chapter for you because I've managed to get a fair bit written, mostly thanks to the amazing reviews and encouragement I've received once again. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing and alerting, you guys rock!

Chapter 4

Danny heard a voice, but wondered how that was possible given the fact that he was submerged in the ocean. He wondered if he was getting auditory hallucinations until he felt firm hands rubbing up and down his arms, felt himself pulled back firmly against something solid and somehow reassuring. Then the familiar voice broke through his haze of panic.

"It's alright Danno; I'm here, just talk to me!"

"Steve?" his voice was a bit wobbly and didn't sound like his own, but Steve was glad to hear it anyway.

"Yeah buddy. How are you doing?"

"I've had better days, if I'm honest. Erm, not to sound stupid or anything, but how can we talk?"

"There's a radio built in to the masks. The Coast Guard rescue swimmers need to be able to communicate with people on the surface and each other. I'll warn you now, we have an eavesdropper."

"An eavesdropper Commander McGarrett, really?" Ensign Kalena Rodriguez replied, pretending to be wounded by the comment, but it was clear in her tone she was amused.

"Sorry Kalena. Allow me to introduce my brother, Detective Danny Williams, Danny that's Ensign Kalena Rodriguez."

"Hello Detective Williams, your Commander McGarrett's brother?" the tone clearly expressed her doubt at that claim.

"Hi Ensign Rodriguez, please, it's Danny and no, he's not my brother by blood but we're ohana."  
"Ah I see and you may call me Kalena. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing OK, all things considered. Is my daughter alright?"

"She's fine. Cath and Kono are keeping her distracted. I believe her mother is on the way."

"Oh, that's just… peachy."

"Is that a problem Danny?" Kalena was worried that somehow someone had overstepped their bounds, "Kono said that she needed to call her…"

"No, it's not a problem. It's just that my being trapped like this will somehow come back to my job and my darling ex-wife will find a way to use it against me."  
"Come on Danny," Steve tried to reassure him, "Rachel hasn't pulled any stunts like that in a while now; in fact you two have been getting on much better."  
"True, but I still worry," Danny shrugged.

"I know, but Grace is safe and Rachel will understand that this was just an accident."

"It wasn't an accident Steven."

"It wasn't?"

"No, this island is trying to kill me!"

Under the mask Steve rolled his eyes again, even though Danny couldn't see him, "The Island is _not_ trying to kill you Danny!"

"Have I told you lately how much I hate this pineapple infested hell hole?"

"You haven't mentioned it in a while, at least…" Steve pretended to pause and give it some thought, "three days."

"You hate Hawaii? How can anyone hate Hawaii?" Kalena asked.

"I like cities. Skyscrapers," Danny told her, "Still it's true that the place has grown on me but this? This is someone trying to tell me something!"

"No Danny, it was just an accident."

"How's Sabrina by the way?"

"They took her to the hospital to check her over, but they don't think she suffered any injuries accept some bruising," supplied Kalena.

"That's good."

"We've got a request in with base for more sets of scuba gear," Kalena told the two men, "Jeff and Dom only had the two but figure that work will go a lot faster if they can stay under the water to dig the trenches. We'll have you out of there in time Danny."

"Yeah, OK."

Steve was worried, although Danny was being sarcastic it was less 'enthusiastic' than normal, it lacked his usual hand waving. If the man had hated the beach and swimming before, he was surely going to loathe it after this.

-5-0-

Chin, Mak, Dom and Jeff waited for the four sets of scuba gear to arrive from the base, which actually didn't take long as they were flown over by helicopter and lowered on a winch in an effort to save time. The longer Danny's leg remained trapped the more likely he was going to suffer from hypovolemia brought on by shock and crush syndrome.

The men quickly geared up and turned their attention back to digging small trenches under the rock. Mak divided his attention between Danny and the trench, trying to make sure he kept his patient as stable as possible under the difficult circumstances.

"Danny, I need to change out your IV," Mak told Danny over the radio.

"'K."

Quickly Mak disconnected the two empty bags and then attached two more full ones, once again making sure they were wide open, "How are you doing?"

"Alright," Danny's response was not very forthcoming.

"Any pain?"

Steve felt Danny shrug, "Come on Danno, use your words, you're normally good at that!"

"Thank you for your input Steven!" Danny replied, though there was no heat in the words, it was clear that despite not doing anything the trapped man was starting to tire, "Can't feel a thing, my leg feels kind of numb."

That was _not_ a good sign, but then again he had been sitting in the same position for the best part of two hours at this point

"We're nearly done with the trenches, then we'll have room to get a pole underneath and there will be enough leverage to lift the rock off your leg. Hang in there a little longer."

"Don't really have much choice," replied Danny, leaning back further into Steve; in fact where Danny had been supporting some of his own weight, now he was fully supported by the SEAL.

Happy as he could be at the current condition of his patient Mak returned to see how the trenches were coming along.

The men had been working in silence, conscious of the fact that Danny would be able to hear what they were saying. Chin had smiled as he heard Steve trying to distract Danny with all sorts of conversations; ranging from how Danny wouldn't be able to drive the Camaro for a while (Danny's response was 'what's new') to sport, to pineapple. The longer it took to create the trenches the quieter Danny got and the more Steve talked. It was certainly a weird role reversal and one that Chin would gladly put a stop to if he could, but the only way to do that was to get the rock off Danny's leg.

The current under the surface was pushing and pulling at the men slightly but hadn't yet affected their efforts. That changed when a particularly large wave rolled in over the rock pool and then receded. The under current caused by it actually managed to shift the large rock.

Danny had been resting quietly against Steve's broad chest, tired and no longer physically able to support his own weight he just allowed the strength of the other man to hold him up. Steve's voice was a constant in this undersea world that he had no desire to be a part of, in fact the trapped detective was pretty sure he'd be happy never to have to venture anywhere near the ocean again. He knew that was impossible given the fact he lived on an island that was forty four miles long and thirty miles wide, not to mention that his daughter loved the ocean and beach. Danny would do anything for his little girl, but he was positive it would be a while before he entered the ocean with her again. Luckily he had ohana that loved the water as much as she did and that he trusted to look out for her. There was no way he was going to let his experience prevent Grace from doing something she loved, even if he couldn't enjoy it with her.

Danny was pulled from his thoughts as he felt the water around him shift and the leg he had thought was numb sent pain messages loud and clear. He cursed and tried to move to get away from the pain, but strong arms held him.

"Danny! Stay still," Steve ordered as calmly as he could. He knew that the wave that had just rolled over them was going to recede and moving wasn't going to help Danny's predicament any.

Mak had also felt the wave and had seen the rock over Danny's leg shift slightly and had noticed his patient trying to move. He clamped his hand down on the trapped leg as he waited for the wave to recede. There was a good chance that the rock would move again and if Danny tried to wrench his leg free then it could have disastrous consequences. The other three men moved back slightly and waited the long few seconds it would take for the wave to crash on the beach and for the current to flow back towards them. They all wanted to get Danny out but they wouldn't be able to do that if the rock shifted and trapped one of them as well.

A yell of pain and the current flowed back over them and then settled into the same gentle rhythm as previously. Everyone could hear Danny's pained groans and heavy breathing but Chin, Dom and Jeff all returned to clearing the trenches while Mak went to check on his patient.

"Danny?"

"Leg isn't numb anymore!" Danny ground out between pained breaths, eyes clamped shut, jaw tensing.

"Just stay still," instructed Steve, like Mak he could see the red tinge in the water around the rock.

"I'm going to give you another small dose of morphine Danny," Mak couldn't give him a dose high enough to stop the pain but it would at least ease it. The medication was administered and Steve coached Danny through slowing his breathing down.

Mak exchanged concerned glances with Steve over Danny's head before returning his attention to the efforts of the other three men, "How we doing guys?"

"We're ready," stated Dom.

Jeff resurfaced and grabbed the two lengths of metal pole that they had brought from the truck and handed one to Dom. They slid the poles under the rock and waited for a signal.

"Alright Danny, we're ready," Mak told his patient, "Chin is going to surface and squeeze the IV bags to force the fluid into your system quickly as Jeff and Dom lift the rock, I'm going to support your leg as we free it and Steve will ease you back. You let us do the work, OK?"

"'K," Danny was far too tired and stressed to argue.

Mak helped Steve support Danny as he shifted into a better position, ignoring the pins and needles where he'd been sitting in the same position for so long. Danny was likely to suffer much worse after all. Chin patted Danny's shoulder and then surfaced to do as Mak had instructed.

"On the count of three," Mak ordered after taking up his position by Danny's trapped leg, "One, two, three."

Dom and Jeff put their weight behind the poles that were now protruding from under the rock, their faces turning red from the effort. Chin squeezed both IV bags, forcing much needed extra fluid into Danny's over taxed system. Steve had his hands under Danny's armpits and lifted him easily with the buoyancy of the water. Mak steadied his patient's leg and the moment there was enough room eased it smoothly out from under the rock.

Everyone resurfaced together and Dom immediately took over supporting Danny's leg so that Mak could properly assess his patient. Steve helped him ease the scuba mask off and it was quickly replaced with one hundred per cent oxygen.

"Let's get you to shore," Mak squeezed Danny's shoulder as the five able bodied men positioned themselves around him and carefully carried him out of the pool and to the shore where a gurney was positioned just waiting for their patient.

Danny was laid on the gurney and wrapped in a foil blanket in an attempt to help his body regulate his temperature. Mak quickly assessed his leg, cleaning it quickly and efficiently before wrapping a bandage round the deep cuts that he could now clearly see.

As soon as the men appeared over the edge of the rock pool Rachel, Grace, Kono and Cath hurried forward, though were prevented from approaching the gurney by Kalena.

"Danny needs medical attention," she explained as the three women and one child turned to protest at being kept back, "Let Mak assess him and then you can see him," reluctantly they agreed, though Rachel had to hold tight to stop Grace from running to her Danno.

"We need to get you to the hospital Danny," Mak told him, "I'm worried about the damage that your leg has sustained after being trapped for so long. I can't feel any broken bones but some of the cuts are deep and will likely need stitches. I'm going to arrange for you to be airlifted," he waved to Kalena who nodded her understanding and turned to her radio.

"Can someone go with him?" Steve asked, he had been hanging on to Danny's hand and had felt it tighten at the news of an airlift.

"Yes, of course," Mak assured them, "I'll be going with him as well."

"Grace, I want to see Grace," Danny demanded. Tired as he was he wouldn't be happy until he'd seen his daughter.

"Of course you do," Mak smiled; he motioned again towards Kalena who then ushered the women and child towards the gurney.

"Choppers on the way, it'll be here in five minutes."

Steve greeted the women with a nod and quickly turned to Grace, "Danno's asking for you."

"Is he OK?" she asked quietly.

"See for yourself," Steve responded, sweeping the little girl up into his arms and carrying her the few steps to the gurney.

"Hey Monkey," his voice was muffled by the oxygen mask but his relief could be heard in those two words.

"Danno!" she wriggled in Steve's arms wanting to get nearer to her Dad.

"There's no room Grace, but how about I hold you so you can give your Danno a kiss?"

The little girl pouted wanting nothing more than to give her Dad a hug and feel his reassuring strong arms around her but she was old enough to understand what she was being told so she nodded. Steve held her securely and lowered her so that she could plant a kiss on Danny's cheek.

Danny wasn't satisfied with that though and lifted shaking arms, removing his oxygen mask and waving his hand at Steve to lower his daughter again. He planted a kiss on her cheek, "Danno loves you Monkey."

"I love you too Danno."

"Put that mask back on Danny!" barked Mak turning his attention back from his continued assessment of his patient's leg. Not waiting for him to do it Mak settled the mask back where it belonged, "Now leave it there."

"You're bossy," Danny sighed but acquiesced, dropping his hand back to his stomach and allowing Mak to wrap the foil blanket back over him, leaving just enough room for the IV tubing to snake out from under it.

Mak didn't even dignify that with a response, just rolled his eyes. The sound of the incoming helicopter broke off any further discussions. Steve spoke quickly to Cath, Kono, Rachel and Chin. It was quickly agreed that Steve would be the one to go with Danny. Chin was going to arrange for an HPD officer to drive Steve's truck back to HQ so Cath could go to the hospital with Rachel in her car and since he'd come with Kono in hers he would drive Danny's Camaro.

The cove wasn't big enough to land the Coast Guard helicopter so a harness was lowered down and Steve went up first, quickly followed by Danny and Mak. The litter was gently guided into the helicopter and the door closed. The people on the beach stood watching it until it was a speck in the sky and then there was a dash for the cars so they could get to the hospital.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Thank you as always for your comments, favourites and just reading! Things have been mental on the work front (having a tooth extraction that didn't go to plan didn't help either... hmmm maybe there's a Danny whump in there somewhere! lol) ... The company I work for will also be moving offices next week but I will try to find some time to write some more. In the meantime here's the next chapter. Please remember I am not a medical professional!

Chapter 5

Doctor Jensen was standing in the doorway that led to the roof of the Queens Medical Centre waiting for the incoming chopper. He'd received a call as soon as the nurse's desk heard it was a member of Five-0 given that he had experience of dealing with not just the injured party but the always anxious extended family.

Standing next to him was Akela, one of the nurses that could actually get the recalcitrant Five-0 patient to do as they're told. The fact that the male nurse was six foot six didn't hurt either, but he just didn't stand for any of their nonsense. Too many times he'd found a nurse cowering under the glacial McGarrett glare or the Williams rant. Neither man intended any harm and always found the nurse later to apologise but having Akela nearby just made Henry Jensen's job that much easier.

The two medical men and two orderlies watched as the helicopter came in to land. Once it had settled on the roof they ducked their heads down to try and avoid some of the wash of air caused by the blades and ran with their gurney to meet it.

The door opened and Commander McGarrett stepped out and helped another man to pull out the litter, the two orderlies grabbed the foot of it and the four men eased it onto the gurney. That's when Henry got a good look at which of the team was his patient and released an internal groan. When Danny was injured things were always more complicated, not because he was any more difficult to deal with than Steve as a patient but because _Steve_ became more difficult when it was _Danny_; it seemed to Henry if Steve was injured, although Danny would rant and growl he was just easier to calm down than the Navy SEAL. If Chin or Kono were injured it was a walk in the park by comparison because Danny calmed Steve down which in turn stopped Danny from ranting at the staff because he was focused on preventing his partner from blowing the hospital to pieces when nobody could answer his questions. Of course Henry would prefer _none_ of the team were ever injured, but with this bunch it just didn't happen; one of them was in the hospital probably at least once a month and _that_ was a good month!

Once they were off the roof and away from the noise Henry turned his attention to Mak as he reeled off Danny's vitals and explained what had happened.

"Have there been any signs of compartment syndrome?" asked Henry.

"Not so far," Mak replied, somewhat relieved.

"Well that's good news."

"Compartment syndrome, what's that?" Steve wanted to know. Danny looked relieved that someone else asked the question that he wanted to, his energy reserves at an all-time low.

"It's the compression of nerves, blood vessels and muscle. Danny is at risk of it because his lower leg was compressed for an extended period," Henry told them, resting a hand reassuringly on Danny's shoulder as they moved out of the elevator into an ER trauma room.

"He could still develop it?"

"He could, but we'll be monitoring him closely. If he develops compartment syndrome then we'll carry out a fasciotomy which would mean making an incision in the skin and removing a small area of fascia, the fibrous connective tissue which surrounds muscles, to relieve tension and pressure."

Danny had been moved from the litter and was being connected to various machines as Henry spoke and as soon as Akela connected the heart monitor everyone knew how Danny felt about his explanation thanks to his heart rate. Henry could have kicked himself for worrying his patient but he also knew that this team liked to be fully informed, "It has a very high rate of success but we're not there yet Danny. There's a good chance that it's not going to be necessary given you aren't experiencing any of the symptoms."

"Come on Danno, calm down. Deep breaths," Steve coached Danny through is momentary panic as the ER staff continued to connect him to the machines.

Henry turned his attention to the machines that were now showing Danny's O2 sats, blood pressure and heart rate, "Blood pressure is on the low side. Get me U+Es, FBC and Glucose tests. Insert a foley catheter as well please," he ordered the staff, "Steve, can you step outside, we're going to take some x-rays and ensure nothing is broken."

"I'd rather stay."

Danny had heard the words foley catheter and as much as having Steve in the room helped keep him calm he really didn't need his brother to see _that_ particular procedure, "I'm fine Steve, go on."

"You sure?" Steve asked glancing from Danny to Henry.

"Absolutely," nodded Danny.

"I'll come out and get you in a few minutes Steve, just wait in the hallway."

Steve nodded, squeezed Danny's shoulder and left the room, albeit reluctantly. He propped himself against a wall just to the left of the door and waited, arms crossed over his chest.

"Danny, I'm inserting the catheter now," Akela informed him.

All Danny wanted was for a hole to open up beneath him at that moment. He knew that this was their job and they'd seen it all before, but this was his body and the uncomfortable procedure, necessary though it may be, was embarrassing for him.

"All done," Akela patted his good leg.

"X-rays," ordered Henry as the medical staff pulled the lead aprons on. Minutes later the doctor was looking at them on the computer in the trauma room and was happy to see there were no breaks, "Looks good Danny, nothing broken," he turned back to Akela, "I want IV fluids running 1.5 litres per hour and I want to see at least 300 ml per hour of urine…"

Danny closed his eyes and shut out the conversation, he _really_ didn't want to hear any of this and he was too tired to pay attention even if he wanted to.

"… calcium gluconate 10% 10 ml, 50% glucose IV bolus…"

Danny drifted off to the sounds of medical jargon that even at his best he wouldn't be able to understand! It was an indeterminate amount of time later that he woke because of a sharp pain in his leg.

"Easy Danno," Steve's voice broke through the fog and he felt his hand being gripped, though as the fog lifted he realised it was actually _him_ gripping Steve's hand, which in hindsight was a bad idea since he still had an IV in the back of each hand and gripping anything was uncomfortable.

"Ah, back with us then Danny," Henry came into view as Danny blinked sleepily, "I'm just cleaning the cuts on your leg and assessing them to see what needs to be done. You've got a dozen cuts and although most of them are shallow they're still long and a bit jagged. I'm going to tidy them up before putting strips on those. Then you've got three rather deep ones which are going to need stitches I'm afraid."

"Great," mumbled Danny unhappily.

"Once this is done we'll get you up to ICU where you can be closely monitored and get some rest," reassured Henry as he turned back to continue his clean-up of the damaged calf. The tension and increased heart rate of his patient stopped him and he ordered some further pain medication, giving it a chance to take affect before continuing.

Nearly an hour later Danny's leg was thoroughly cleaned, smothered with antibiotic cream and the three deep wounds had been stitched, unfortunately one had been deep enough to require stitching of the muscle so he would be needing crutches once he was able to get up and about. Including the internal stitching to his muscle he was now the not so proud owner of fifty seven stitches and a bandage from just below his knee to just above his ankle.

Despite the sedative he had been given to make it easier on him to endure the internal stitches Danny hadn't managed to get much rest. The man already had a reputation for being cranky but now he was downright miserable. Every time he closed his eyes and started to drift off someone made a noise or touched him in a way that startled him awake.

"I swear to god, the next person to touch me is going to get a punch in the face!" he growled fed up with being poked and prodded.

"Easy Danny, they're just doing their jobs," Steve soothed.

"I don't care Steven! I'm tired, uncomfortable and have a tube where there is no right being one!" a hand waved in the general direction of his groin, causing Steve to wince in sympathy.

"You'll be going up to the ICU in a few minutes Danny," promised Henry, "We've done all we can down here, now it's a case of monitoring you for at least twenty four hours in ICU."

"Urgh, more poking and prodding," Danny flung an arm over his eyes in frustration.

"They'll have to check your vitals regularly but you're hooked up to machines for that…"

"The blood pressure cuff tightens every fifteen minutes Henry! That's not conducive to restful sleep! I just want to be left alone!"

"You want to be left alone Detective Williams," Henry responded, also at the end of his patience with his patient, "I can do that. I'll take the blood pressure cuff off then the nursing staff won't be able to check your blood pressure, which means they could miss something important, like, I don't know _your blood pressure dropping_!"

Steve stood up and faced Henry, putting his body between the doctor and Danny, "Henry…"

The doctor huffed out a sigh and held up his hands, "I know, I know, I'm sorry."

Akela had watched the exchange with growing discomfort. He had worked with Henry Jensen for years and had never seen him lose his temper with a patient, then again the Five-0 team had managed to get under the doctor's skin and he cared about them as friends as well now, the same as Akela had come to do as well.

"Are there any other options for monitoring his blood pressure?" asked Steve reasonably.

Henry momentarily hesitated, "There are…"

"But?"

The doctor moved Steve gently to one side while he leaned down on the railing at the side of the bed, bringing him closer to his patient, "Danny, we could set up an arterial blood pressure through an arterial line. That would mean inserting a cannula into your radial artery and connecting you to a machine that would constantly measure your blood pressure."

"No more cuff?" asked Danny, seriously thinking about it.

"Nope, no more cuff…"

"But?" repeated Steve, knowing that if the arterial blood pressure had been the preferred way then Henry would have used it.

"But it's a cannula into an artery which carries its own risks. Blood clots, infection and bleeding. If the line were to become disconnected then it would lead to severe bleeding. In Danny's case it's not strictly necessary and should be avoided."

Danny sighed, he knew he was being unreasonable and had pushed Henry passed his limits but honestly being woken every fifteen minutes by his arm being squeezed didn't appeal, then again nor did having a needle inserted into an artery, "Isn't there another option?" he asked tiredly.

"We can give you a stronger sedative so that you'll sleep through it," suggested Henry. It wasn't ideal as they really needed to know if his pain level changed so they could monitor for compartment syndrome, but he wasn't showing any signs and the bigger worry was actually any increase in toxins in his system, which Danny didn't need to be conscious for in order for them to monitor. There were also other signs for compartment syndrome that they could monitor for without Danny being awake, such as tense, swollen and shiny skin. They would need to remove the dressing but if Danny was sedated there wasn't much chance of him doing any further damage so the additional protection could probably be waved for the time he was sedated.

"OK," agreed Danny readily. He was so tired he could cry but he knew that without help the pressure of the cuff would wake him without fail.

"Alright, I'll arrange it once you're settled in the ICU," Henry told him, "It will only be for a few hours though," he warned, not wanting to keep him sedated for any length of time, "By then your blood pressure won't need monitoring quite as regularly anyway."

Danny nodded his agreement, relieved that he had a reprieve, even if it was temporary.

-5-0-

A few hours later Danny opened bleary eyes, blinking them to clear his sleep filled vision. It took a moment for him to understand his surroundings when his vision did clear. A hospital room, machines, nasal cannula for oxygen, drips, blood pressure cuff and his personal favourite the foley catheter all registered as he glanced around. Shifting position he groaned as his leg throbbed and he recalled exactly why he was lying in a hospital bed, looking down he saw that the sheet that was draped over him was also lifted off his injured leg by a cage.

"Danny?"

He looked round at the sound of his name and finally noticed Kono sitting in the chair next to his bed, "Hey," he croaked in response.

"Here," she picked up a cup from a table to the side of the room, added a straw and helped him drink some water, pressing the call button as she did.

Danny was relieved as the cool liquid eased his dry throat, "Thanks."

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she placed the cup back on the table and turned back to him, her eyes filled with concern.

The detective paused to think about that, how _was_ he feeling? "Tired, a bit muzzy headed and my leg is throbbing."

The door to the room slid open to reveal Henry, "That's to be expected Danny, fifty seven stitches in a leg that was trapped under volcanic rock for a considerable time will do that to you," he told his patient as he picked up his chart and checked the surrounding machines.

"I'm going to go and call Steve…" Kono started as she got up to leave.

Suddenly Danny recalled who had been on the beach with him, "Grace?"

"She's fine Danny. She's with Steve, Cath, Chin and Rachel having lunch. I'm sure they'll be back shortly now that you're awake though."

"OK, thanks," Danny replied, reassured that his daughter was fine; he turned his attention back to his doctor.

"You're doing really well Danny," Henry informed him, "There's been no sign of compartment syndrome and thanks to the excellent care you received on scene the crush syndrome has been kept to a minimum."

"So when can I get out of here?"

Henry laughed; he'd been waiting for that question ever since he'd stepped into the room, "Out of the ICU… tomorrow morning as long as you remain stable. Out of the hospital? Twenty four to forty eight hours after that."

"Three days? Come on, it's just a few cuts…"

"Danny," Henry turned serious, "Crush and compartment syndrome can lead to death if it's not caught in time. While you're doing well right now I'm not willing to release you until all your blood work is back to normal. As for it being just a few cuts… did you hear me say fifty seven stitches?! You're going to be using crutches for at least a week once you're released and it will be about another week before we'll be able to remove the external stitches. The problem is with injuries like yours is that people dismiss them as minor and they most certainly aren't! You will stay here until I am convinced that there is no further risk to your health! Do I make myself clear?"

Danny eyed his doctor and friend balefully but the man had taken up a stance he recognised only too well, arms folded across his chest, shoulders back and feet hip width apart. That right there was a classic McGarrett pose and one he'd no doubt learned in the military which is why he shared it with Henry, either that or the doctor had been hanging around the team too much. Either way Danny knew that pose meant that he wasn't winning the argument, no matter how much he tried.

"Crystal."

"Good, I'll let Akela know you're also ready for your next dose of pain medication." Henry told him as he noticed Danny wince.

There was a knock on the door and it slid open and Steve stuck his head in, "Can he have visitors?"

"Yes, I'm done here for now. I'll be back in a couple of hours Danny. If you need anything then use the call button."  
Danny nodded and watched as he left the room, moments later Steve was joined by Chin, Cath, Kono, Rachel and Grace. The man lying in the bed wasn't sure how he felt about Cath seeing him lying in a hospital bed but he was distracted from that by a squeal from his daughter, "Danno!"

"Hey Monkey," he turned his head as she ran to his bedside, knowing that trying to turn over would be a bad idea.

Steve immediately dropped the railing and picked Grace up, placing her gently by her father's side. She quickly leaned into him and Danny's arms went around her, breathing in her unique scent. He hadn't realised that he'd even been tense until holding her and seeing for himself that she was alright caused him to relax.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thank you as always for reading / alerting / reviewing. Your time is precious and I appreciate that you spend a little of it reading what I write. I'm away for a few days this week and with the company I work for moving into new offices tomorrow things may be a bit hectic, but I will try to get the next chapter up next weekend if I can't post before.

Chapter 6

Akela slid open the door to Danny's room once more and took in the five adults and one child in the room, "I'll give you five minutes, then I don't want to see more than two visitors in this room," he instructed as he approached the bed, "How are you doing Danny?"

"I'm good."

"Uh huh," Akela arched an eyebrow at the lie.

Steve rolled his eyes while Chin and Kono smothered their laughter at the standard Danny (or Steve if he were injured) response. The SEAL was about to call him on it when Grace beat him to it.

"Danno, it's not nice to tell lies," she scolded in her unique child come adult manner that the team were now used to.

"I'm not Monkey," he lied again.

Grace pushed herself up and looked over her father critically, a look that was familiar and looked very much like her mother's 'don't bullshit me' face, "Then why are you trembling?" she crossed her arms and glared at him. Danny was sure if she'd been standing she would be doing the McGarrett (and Henry) pose with her feet hip width apart.

Steve and Akela shared a glance and then turned to look back at the patient, both with expectant looks on their faces and both trying to smother the grins at Danny being called on his behaviour by his daughter.

"I'm just tired Gracie," Danny admitted, even as he tried to dismiss the fact that he was trembling, annoyed at his body betraying him, "But I'm really OK."

Akela was the one to roll his eyes this time, "Let's try this, how's the pain on a scale of one to ten?"

Danny opened his mouth to speak but Grace interrupted him, "Tell the truth Danno!"

"Seven," Danny sighed, admitting defeat. There was no way he could resist the look on his daughter's face.

"Alright, I'll go and get your pain medication," he turned back to the people in the room, "When I come back I expect to see some of you leaving."

"You should all go," Danny told them, only to be met with the expected protests, by everyone except Rachel, holding up his hand he quietened his visitors, "Grace, I know it's our weekend together, but an ICU is not the place for you to spend your Saturday afternoon."

"How about I take her home, I'll bring her back to visit tomorrow but you can have her next weekend to make up for it?" offered Rachel.

Danny was surprised by her being so reasonable and was about to accept but then realised he would still be less than mobile; "I'll still be on crutches so it wouldn't be much fun for her."

"You'll be staying at mine so she can play on the beach while you sit on the lanai and I'll supervise," Steve told him.

"I'll be staying at yours? Says who Steven?"

"Here they go," mumbled Kono to Cath who had never seen a Danny and Steve 'discussion' before.

"Well me of course," Steve told his brother, like it should be obvious. Which if Danny had stopped to think about it, it was, "You aren't going to manage the stairs at your apartment, you won't be able to drive and will need help with looking after your leg."

"I am perfectly capable of looking after myself, thank you very much!"

"You do know that you won't be able to get the stitches wet, don't you?"

"So?"

"You'll need help to wrap your leg to protect it when you shower. What if you slip or you drop your crutches? How are you going to cook?"

"If I slip I'll get up or use my cell to call for help if I can't. If I drop my crutches I'll pick them up. I don't need to cook when there's take out!"

Grace still sat on the bed watching the two men, used to their manner of communication. She also wanted her Dad to stay at Uncle Steve's because then she would get to spend next weekend with the two men, "Uncle Steve…"

"Yes Gracie," he turned his attention to his niece.

"You didn't ask."

"Sorry?" his face wrinkled in confusion.

"You didn't ask Danno to stay with you, you just told him he was going to. That's not polite."

"What she said," Danny nodded in agreement. Proud and a little surprised that his daughter had managed to pick up on why what Steve had said was bothering him so much.

Steve sighed the sigh of a much put upon man, "Fine. Danno, would you please come and stay with me when you get out of the hospital?"

"Why Steven, that's a very nice offer," Danny replied. He knew it was the sensible choice, since Steve had a room he could use downstairs with a bathroom right next door, "I would love to stay with you when I'm discharged from here."

Cath looked at Kono; she wondered why Danny hadn't just agreed in the first place. Kono just shrugged in response, "Don't try to understand it," she told the other woman, "Just go with the flow."

"OK then," Cath replied with a shrug of her own.

"That's settled then. I'll drop Grace at Steve's on Saturday morning, but I will bring her to visit you tomorrow," Rachel told him.

"Thanks Rach."

"You're welcome Daniel. Come on Grace, your father needs his rest," she had noticed Akela hovering outside the door.

"Bye Danno, love you!" Grace told her Dad as she kissed him and gave him another hug. Steve then helped her off the bed.

"Danno loves you too Monkey!" he waved to her as she left the room and then turned his attention back to his four remaining visitors, "Go! Be gone! Vamoose! Disappear!"

"Danny we're not leaving you here by yourself," protested Kono.

"You should be surfing," responded Danny, "and you," he pointed to Chin, "Should be doing that list of chores that your beautiful wife left you to do or perhaps preparing an amazing meal for her for when she gets home from work, trust me, it's the little things that matter, she'll appreciate it and you should be spending quality time together while you can since you both have high pressure jobs," Danny then turned to Steve and Cath, "You two, you should be doing whatever it is you do when Cath's in town! Whatever you do, Cath, it always puts a big ass grin on McGarrett's face."

"You know what they do Danny!" laughed Kono as Cath blushed.

"Hey! I don't want to think about that, thank you all the same! Just, get out of here, go have some fun. Kono, go play in the surf with your buddies, Chin, Steve, go cook a nice meal for your ladies or take them out for dinner, just go somewhere that isn't here!" The three team mates looked at each other uncertainly but Danny made the decision for them, "Akela," he called to the nurse that he could see loitering out in the corridor, "Can I have my pain meds now, please?" once Grace had gone the need to put up a front vanished and he really did hurt so his intention was to let Akela give him his pain medication and then to sleep, as much as the regular now thirty minute checks on his blood pressure and other vitals would allow at least.

Akela walked into the room and smiled at his patient, "Of course Danny," he injected the medication into Danny's IV port and then turned to the others, "He'll be asleep in a few minutes. You should do as he suggested."

"You'll call if there's any change?" Steve asked anxiously.

"Absolutely," Akela agreed.

"OK Danny, you win."

"Makes a change," mumbled Danny, barely managing to roll his eyes as he let the pain medication start to pull him under.

"If you need anything just call brah," Kono instructed, not wanting to leave but knowing that now Steve had agreed she stood no chance.

"Will do," Danny replied, waving a hand at them, "Now shoo! Oh and Catherine…"

"Yes Danny."

"Thank you for helping to look after Grace."

"My pleasure," Cath replied and meant it. Watching how Steve interacted with the young girl had been a real eye opener.

Danny was just drifting off when the blood pressure machine kicked in and his eyes peeled open, "Joy!" he grumbled. The others grinned at him, waited for the machine to do what it needed to do and watched as Danny once again drifted off to sleep before leaving quietly.

-5-0-

A few hours after he had chased the team out of the room Danny woke up feeling hot and miserable. He was thirsty and his water jug was empty, though he didn't remember drinking much water. Sighing he pressed the call button that had been left near his hand, just a minute later Akela appeared in the doorway.

"Everything OK Danny?" he asked as he stepped into the room.

"Could I get some more water please?" Danny indicated the empty jug on the table.

"Sure," Akela agreed; he took the jug and headed back out of the room, returning just a couple of minutes later with a fresh jug of water with ice in. He poured his patient a glass and handed it to him, when Danny's hands shook he took the glass back, dropped a straw in and held the glass while Danny took a long drink.

"Thanks," the ice cold water had been soothing to his parched throat, but he still felt hot and threw his sheet back a little, "Is it me, or is it a bit warm in here?"

Akela looked concerned; the temperature in the room hadn't changed since his patient had been admitted. Quickly he checked the monitors and pulled a thermometer out of a holder next to the bed and placed it in Danny's ear, "How are you feeling other than being a bit warm?"

"Tired," Danny thought for a moment, "I keep shivering too but I'm not cold."

The thermometer beeped and Akela read the display, "That would be the temperature you've got," the nurse told him, "One hundred and three degrees," tutted the nurse, "or just over thirty nine degrees. That's too high Danny; I'm going to call Doctor Jensen."

Danny sighed, unhappy that having a temperature probably meant an infection which in turn probably meant an even longer stay in hospital, something he wasn't eager to do. He wasn't sure how long it was between Akela telling him he was calling Doctor Jensen and the man himself appearing in his room but it couldn't have been too long which meant Henry had still been in the hospital.

"Hey Danny, I hear you're running a temperature."

"Yeah," the response was quiet and morose.

"Well let's have a look at you and see what we can do to make you feel better," putting words into action he quickly checked the monitors and the last readings from Danny's blood pressure, "Your blood pressure is a little low, but if you're fighting an infection that's to be expected," he lifted the sheet off of Danny's right leg, with Akela's help he removed the dressing that had been put on after Danny first woke up from the sedation, "The stitched wounds are all looking good, but some of the smaller wounds are inflamed. I want to change to a different antibiotic, it's stronger than the one we currently have you on."

Danny heard Henry give Akela instructions about his antibiotics but he certainly didn't understand what he said, the names meaning nothing to him. He had heard the confirmation that he had an infection, which just made him even more miserable.

"Akela, please redress Danny's leg," Henry instructed once he'd thoroughly cleaned the wounds again, "Danny, I know you're feeling unwell right now, but once the antibiotics start to work you'll feel better. Akela will get a couple of cold packs and that will help with your temperature, OK?"

"Yeah."

"I'll call Steve and let him know what's going on," Henry told his patient.

"No, don't," Danny told the doctor.

"Danny, we promised to call him if there was any change."

"There's nothing he can do," replied Danny tiredly, "He's with Cath and I don't want to ruin their evening. I'm just going to sleep."

Henry looked at his patient who was now barely tracking as he fought to keep his eyes open. He had no doubt that he would get the sharp end of Steve's tongue if he didn't call him, but Danny was coherent enough to make his own decisions and as the patient he had the right to doctor patient confidentiality. This was the hardest part about becoming friends with people he treated so regularly, "Alright Danny, I won't call him for now. If there's any further changes though, I will, deal?"

"Yeah, fine," Danny waved his hand weakly in the air and closed his eyes; though they shot open a few minutes later when Akela slipped some cold packs in his groin area and arm pits, "Whoa, a little warning!"

"Sorry, I thought you were asleep," Akela replied as he settled the sheet back across his patient.

"I was!" retorted Danny, shivering with the cold feeling of the packs touching his hot skin. It only took a few minutes before he became used to the feeling and drifted back to sleep, though it was still disturbed by the thirty minute blood pressure checks he was too tired to really notice it.

-5-0-

Steve and Chin had taken Danny's suggestion on board and had arranged to take Cath and Malia out for dinner together. The four had an enjoyable meal and the women hit it off immediately. Malia had been delighted at the fact that Chin was taking her out to dinner and hadn't been at all put off that they were going out with another couple. She knew what had happened to Danny and had checked on him before leaving the hospital that evening, but he'd been fast asleep and hadn't even known she was there. This went some way to assuaging any worry the two men had about their friend being left on his own at the hospital and had allowed them to enjoy the meal.

"You know we can swing by the hospital and check on him," Cath leaned over and gently rested a hand on Steve's forearm. He had just zoned out for the third time in the last half hour.

"I'm sure he's fine, I'll go and see him in the morning," Steve turned to her and smiled, resting his hand over hers, "Besides Akela or Henry would have called if there was a problem."  
"You're not fooling anyone you know," she replied.

"What?"

"Steve you've been distracted for the last half hour. I know you and in order to relax you're going to need to check on him before we head back to yours, so why don't we settle the bill and swing by the hospital and see how he's doing," Cath suggested.

"I agree with Cath," Malia chimed in, "Neither of you is going to relax any more tonight unless you see Danny is alright." She had also noticed her husband getting distracted as the evening wore on and though the meal and company had been good she understood his urge to check on a man that he considered part of his ohana.

"You sure you don't mind?" Steve asked, concerned that he hadn't been showing Cath enough attention.

"Of course I don't!"

"Alright, I'll go and pay then we can leave," now he was sure that Cath, and Malia, were alright with this change of plans he wanted to see Danny.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Thank you for taking the time to read / review and alert, it's always appreciated! This is the last chapter that I had ready to go but I will try to keep posting at least once a week until this is finished, I promise!

Chapter 7

Steve, Cath, Chin and Malia all entered the ICU quietly, trying not to draw attention to themselves because it was after visiting hours, something that normally didn't matter because someone would usually stay at the hospital (and wasn't it a sad fact that one of the team in the hospital had become usual), this time was different because they had left and were now sneaking in.

"What are you doing here?"

Steve cringed as he heard the deep voice of Akela behind him and turned to face the music.

"Busted," whispered Cath turning with him.

"I wanted to check on Danny," Steve told him.

"It's after visiting hours Steve," Akela admonished. Honestly it didn't bother him that they were there but he didn't want to deal with the Navy SEAL when he realised Danny had a fever and nobody had called him. He nearly got away with it too since he was due to go off shift in a few minutes.

"I won't disturb him; I just want to see how he's doing."

Akela knew that it was inevitable that Steve was going to find out about Danny now he was here so he decided to bite the bullet and get it over with. It would be better to tell him before he saw his sweat drenched and miserable best friend, "I need to speak to you first," he indicated the small waiting area.

"What's wrong?" immediately Steve was on the alert.

"In here," ordered Akela, not budging. There was no way he was having the sure to be angry SEAL raising his voice in the corridor outside the rooms of extremely ill patients.

"Fine," Steve brushed passed him and into the room, followed closely by the others.

Akela breathed a sigh of relief that the man had agreed so easily, but he didn't miss the sympathetic glances that both Cath and Malia threw his way as he closed the door behind them to allow some privacy.

"Alright, now what's wrong?" demanded Steve.

"Danny has a fever because some of the wounds on his leg have become infected," Steve went to interrupt but Akela ignored him, "Doctor Jensen has been to see him and has changed the antibiotics he was being given to a stronger one."

"Is he going to be alright?" Cath asked, resting a hand gently on Steve's arm.

"He should be fine once the antibiotics take effect. Right now he's miserable and cranky."

"Why didn't anyone call me?" Steve growled.

"Danny asked us not to. He said there was nothing you could do and he's right, there isn't."

"I want to see him," the muscles in his jaw were working overtime as he tried not to lose his temper. If Danny had asked them not to call him then really they'd had no choice.

"Of course, you know which room he's in. Just be quiet if he's asleep as he's been very restless with the fever."

Steve nodded, turned and marched out the door. Akela breathed a sigh of relief; that had gone better than he'd expected but he'd hang around a little longer to make sure that Steve didn't take his frustration out on anybody else.

-5-0-

Danny was truly and utterly miserable. He no longer had a hospital gown on because all it did was stick to his skin and make him more uncomfortable than he already was. Thanks to his leg injury he couldn't curl up into a ball of misery like he wanted to either. All Danny could do was lie on his back and sweat. Akela had been in and out of the room using a cool cloth to wipe his skin but there were other patients and Danny was a grown man who could put up with a little thing like a fever, at least that's what he told himself as he shivered violently and pulled the sheet right up to his chin again. The door to his room slid quietly open and Danny peeled open his tired eyes and groaned inwardly at the sight of his partner, Catherine, Chin and Malia in the doorway.

"Oh Danny," Steve walked over to the bed, a look of sympathy on his face.

"What are you doing here? Did someone call you?"

"No, I, that is, we," he indicated the others, "Wanted to see how you were doing before heading home. Why didn't you let them call me?"

"Nothing you could have done and I really didn't want you seeing me like this," he glanced from Steve to the three people standing behind him. He knew Malia and Catherine were part of their ohana, but really it wasn't right that they were seeing him in such a state.

Malia walked around to the other side of the bed and picked the washcloth up from the side cabinet, submerging it in the bowl of water that had been left there, then squeezing the excess water from it and wiping it over Danny's face. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the cool cloth, "We're family Danny, we might not be able to do much right now but we could at least help keep you more comfortable."

Danny's eyes opened again and met Malia's dark brown ones, there was no condemnation there, nothing but sympathy and understanding, "Thanks," he said as she dropped the cloth back into the water.

Cath seeing that he needed further reassurance and hearing the rasp to his voice poured some water into the glass on the table and held it for him while he took a long drink from the straw, "Malia's right. The staff here are great, but family are better and we only have to concentrate on you."

"You all dropped what you were doing to help me today, I just wanted you to relax and have some time together," he told her.

"We did that, brah," Chin spoke now, resting his hand on Danny's good leg, "Steve and I took the ladies out for a meal, just like you suggested…"

"Then I'm glad I didn't let them call you, I would have hated to be the cause of ruining your night."

"Hey, it wouldn't have ruined our night! The reason we're here is because I was worried about you," Steve shook his head, wondering how to make Danny understand that he was as important as Cath, "As for 'dropping what we were doing to help you', where else would we have been? You would have done the same for us." Danny had to admit that was true, even if he'd had Grace, if one of the team had needed him he would have been there in a heartbeat, "Now I'm going to drop Cath home and then I'll come back and sit with you," he could have given Cath the keys to the truck, but he didn't like the idea of being stuck at the hospital without transport, it was probably the control freak in him.

"You don't have to do that, it's just a fever…"

"Danny, I don't _have_ to, I _want_ to."

"It's alright Steve; you don't need to drop me home. I'm sure Chin wouldn't mind giving me a ride," she glanced at the older man.

"Be my pleasure, how can I refuse the company of two lovely ladies?" he grinned at Steve who rolled his eyes.

"Steve, you should go with Cath…" Danny wasn't ready to acquiesce just yet.

Steve didn't get a chance to protest because Cath beat him to it, "Danny, you need Steve, whether you want to admit it or not. It's alright with me if he stays here with you."

"I'm not going to win this argument am I?"

"No," Malia agreed with him, "One of us is staying with you tonight and then tomorrow we'll take it in turns until you're feeling better," she saw Steve open his mouth to say something, no doubt to protest that he would stay with Danny twenty four seven, "We all need to get some rest too Steve, we'll be no good to Danny if we make ourselves ill."

"She's right Steve," Cath placed her hand on his arm.

"Alright, I'll stay with Danny tonight though."

"I'll come by in the morning to take over and I'm sure Kono will want to take a turn as well," Chin stated.

"Do I get any say in this?" asked the man in the bed, a little petulantly if he were honest.

"No!" came the resounding response from the four members of his ohana.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"OK, I'll see you in the morning Cath," Steve leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss.

"I'll be waiting Sailor," she replied with a cheeky grin.

"Hey! Ill man here; get a room!" Danny told the pair, though there was a slight smile on his face.

"Get some rest Danny," Cath squeezed his hand.

"See you tomorrow brah, behave yourself," said Chin as he patted Danny's shoulder.

"Do what Henry tells you Danny," Malia leaned over and gave him a kiss on his too warm forehead.

"Thanks guys," Danny managed to respond before closing his eyes, worn out from the short conversation. Minutes later he feels the cool cloth being wiped over his face once more and for the first time since his temperature went up he feels comforted, even if he's not actually comfortable.

-5-0-

Danny wakes some time later, he's not really sure how long it is, but it feels like there's something not quite right. He glances over to the chair Steve is sitting in and smiles to himself at the sight of the energetic Navy SEAL sleeping, though the position he is in is going to leave him with a painful neck. No doubt something that Cath can help him with though.

Glancing round the room Danny doesn't notice anything out of place and wonders where the feeling of something being wrong is coming from as he absentmindedly rubs at his torso which is itching. In fact now he's aware of that itch it seems like his whole body is crawling and he rubs his hands up and down his arms, careful to avoid the leads and IV, grateful that he only has one in his left hand now. Danny licks at his dry lips and notices something else, both his tongue and his lips feel odd, almost like they're swollen. He brings his hand up to touch them and gets distracted by the red raised blotches on his arm as it comes into his line of sight. Now they definitely weren't there earlier.

Danny decides it's time to get Steve's attention because something is wrong here. He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out and he swallows, licks his swollen lips again, that's when his body decides to throw another curve ball at him as he realises his chest feels tight and it's getting harder to breathe. He knows he _really_ needs to get someone's attention. Unable to get his mouth to cooperate and form a sentence he does the only thing he can think of and somehow manages to pull the leads off that are stuck to his chest linking him to the heart monitor. Immediately a loud piercing alarm sounds and Steve shoots upright in his chair and is on his feet by the bed even as a couple of nurses rush into the room.

"Danny!" Steve's eyes are wide with fear, his own heart beating wildly in his chest, but he quickly notices the leads in his hand, which also means he quickly spots the red bumps.

One of the nurses is silencing the alarm, even as the second is reattaching the leads, "He must have pulled them off in his sleep," Dawn said to Eve as she finished securing the last pad.

"I don't think so," Eve was checking her patient carefully and taking note of the rash, "Danny, can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Can't… breathe…"

"It's going to be OK Danny," she tries to reassure him as she turns to her colleague, "Dawn, page Doctor Jensen, he said he was staying here overnight," even as she's saying this she is disconnecting the IV antibiotics and taking the oxygen mask off the wall, quickly replacing the nasal cannula with it, "Try to take slow steady breaths Danny."

"What's going on?" asked Steve, holding Danny's hand in his own trying to help his friend through this latest drama.

"I think he's having an allergic reaction to the new antibiotics," Eve told him, "Breathe Danny, in… out… in… out…"

Danny's eyes were practically out on stalks as he fought for every breath he was taking, the change to the mask had helped but it still felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest. He locked eyes with Steve who rested a hand on his forehead and locked eyes with him, taking over the coaching from Eve, "It's alright Danno, breathe," He urged, "In… out… in… out…"

"What happened?" demanded Henry as he swept into the room. Eve quickly filled him in, showed him the rash and listed Danny's vitals. "Get me 0.25mg of epinephrine and 25mg of hydroxyzine," he ordered as he assessed Danny for himself. Moments later Eve was inserting the epinephrine into the IV, it didn't take long for Danny's breathing to ease slightly and the look of relief in his eyes conveyed his gratitude for that.

"What happens now?" asked Steve, tension still evident in his posture.

"I've given Danny epinephrine and an antihistamine to treat the symptoms but we're going to have to try a different antibiotic," Henry replied as he took a deep breath himself, "The infection is still present and we need to continue to treat it. I didn't know Danny had any allergies."

"Nor… did… I," Danny told him.

"Don't try to talk Danny;" admonished Henry, "It's not uncommon to suddenly discover an allergy to a specific type of antibiotic if you've not been given it before."

Danny was feeling extremely tired and he drifted off for a few minutes until he was pulled out of it by the feeling that an elephant was starting to squeeze his breath out of him again, his eyes shot open but he needn't have worried as Henry had been watching his vitals closely and had seen the change in oxygen sats immediately, "Eve, another 0.25mg of epinephrine please and another 25mg of hydroxyzine," he turned to Danny, "It's alright, I know it's difficult but just try to relax. The epinephrine will take affect quickly."

Steve continued to stand by the head of the bed, one hand on Danny's forehead and one grasping his right hand. Henry had known better than to even try to move the Navy SEAL when he was standing guard like this. The doctor had been right, of course, and Danny relaxed as the tightness eased leaving Danny exhausted.

"What was that?" Steve demanded.

"One dose isn't always enough," Henry told him in a calm voice, "We'll keep monitoring his vitals but his blood pressure is already coming back up and his oxygen sats are stabilising. The antihistamine has the side effect of causing drowsiness, but I don't think Danny will mind," Henry addressed his patient, "How are you feeling Danny?"

"Tired."

"Then get some sleep," Henry told him.

"'K." Danny's eyes closed and stayed that way this time.

"I'll be back shortly Steve, I'm going to order the new antibiotics. Danny's temperature is too high."

Steve nodded, not taking his eyes off Danny. There was no way that Steve was going to be sleeping again tonight. He could still hear the screaming of the heart monitor as he thought his brother was flat lining and it would likely haunt his dreams for some time to come. Although the allergic reaction was frightening it was something that Steve could deal with, losing Danny wasn't.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thank you to all those reading, alerting and reviewing. Your time is precious and I appreciate it. This chapter is the shortest yet and it was like pulling teeth to write it. A nightmare week at work made my muse completely uncooperative so I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you too much. I think this story is now coming to an end. I think the next chapter will likely be the last.

Chapter 8

Chin entered the ICU the next morning and found a very alert Steve, though the dark shadows under his eyes indicated a distinct lack of rest during the night. Danny on the other hand, although his hair was sweat soaked and occasional shivers still wracked his body, was sleeping soundly.

"Rough night?" asked Chin.

"Just a bit," Steve replied, rubbing a tired hand over his face. He explained to the older man what had taken place.

"But he's alright now? Henry has him on different antibiotics and he's not had another reaction?"

"Yeah, his breathing is back to normal though they only took him off the oxygen mask and replaced it with the nasal cannula about an hour ago. Henry has said the hives are going to take some time to go down, but the antihistamine he's on will take care of that, the upside is that the medication causes drowsiness so he's been getting a lot of rest."

"Unlike you!" Chin retorted, "Go on, you need to get out of here and get some sleep."  
"I don't want to leave him. You didn't see him last night…"

"No, I didn't and I can only imagine how terrifying hearing the heart monitor alarm was, but I'm here and not going to let anything happen to him. You need to sleep."

"He's right," a tired voice interrupted anything Steve might have been about to say.

"Hey Danno, how are you feeling?" Steve asked softly.

"Fine," came his mulish reply.

"You want to try that again brah?" asked Chin, amused that he thought he could even try to get away with that.

"Miserable," the response this time was less mulish and more despondent, "Happy now?"

"That you told the truth? Ecstatic!"

"Go home to Cath, Steve," ordered Danny, well he tried to but the tired voice didn't really convince anyone that he was in charge of the situation.

"But…"

"Chin's here, I'm being monitored so closely I can't even pee without someone checking how much I managed," he waved a hand loosely down towards the bag at the side of the bed, "Go and get some sleep!"

"If you're sure…"

"I'm positive."

"Alright. Chin, call me if anything changes."

"You got it."

"Danny, I'll be back tonight, try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone."

"Too tired for trouble."

Steve squeezed his friend's shoulder before, reluctantly, leaving him under Chin's watchful eye.

-5-0-

Steve returned to the hospital that evening and went straight to the ICU. He slid open the door to Danny's room and found someone else in the bed. His heart leapt into his mouth, despite knowing Chin or Kono would have called him if something had happened to Danny.

"Can I help you?" a voice from behind him asked.

Turning Steve came face to face with a young nurse, "Er, my brother was in this room this morning, Danny Williams…"

"Oh, he's been moved to a private room. Let me look up the number for you."

"Thanks," the sigh of relief was heartfelt. Danny's new room number in hand Steve thanked the nurse and went to find his brother. When he reached the correct room he quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Chin and Kono were both sitting by Danny's bed and the man himself was sitting up looking a lot better than he had that morning; though he was still a little paler than normal with a slight flush to his cheeks.

"Hey," Danny said as he spotted him entering.

"Hey yourself," Steve replied with a smile, "How are you feeling? Obviously better since you're now in a private room and not in the ICU, where I left you this morning," he gave Chin and Kono a pointed look.

"You didn't call him!" stated Chin as he looked at Kono.

"I thought you said you'd call him!" she replied.

"I definitely said that you should call Steve!"

"You didn't…"

Steve rolled his eyes and wondered, briefly, if this was how he and Danny sounded when they started in on one another, "A call would have been nice. I got to the ICU and someone else was in the bed! A nurse had to explain that Danny had been moved."

"Sorry Steve," Danny said as he reached for his arm to try and get his attention.

"You have nothing to apologise for you, you're sick. These two, on the other hand, are perfectly fine and could have called! The main thing, though, is that you're OK. You are, right?" asked Steve giving Danny the once over.

"Yeah. No more catheter, no more blood pressure cuff," he indicated the bed around him, "I still have to keep the heart monitor and pulse ox thing, but I'm good with that and of course the IV with the antibiotics and antihistamine."  
"You're good with that?"

"At least I'm not being woken by the constant checks on my blood pressure anymore!"

"There is that," Steve nodded, also relieved to see the reduced amount of monitoring, "What else did Henry say?"

"His temperature is nearly back to normal and the infection, along with the allergic reaction to the antibiotics is under control," Chin told him as he gave his cousin one last glare.

"If he continues to improve then Henry thinks that he might be able to discharge Danny tomorrow afternoon," Kono told Steve, totally ignoring Chin's glare.

"That's good news," Steve smiled at Danny, who was being way too quiet, "Right Danny."

"I guess."

"You guess? I thought you'd be itching to get out of here."

"I am but I don't want to impose on anyone…"

"Impose?" Steve was truly puzzled now. Danny had already agreed to stay with him, where was this sudden doubt coming from, "I wouldn't have asked you to come and stay with me if it was a problem Danno."

"What about Catherine?"

"What about her?"

Danny rolled his eyes and decided he would need to spell it out for the Navy SEAL, "Is she going to be staying at your place too?"

"No, Catherine has a place to stay at Pearl, on base."

"Oh OK. I thought maybe she'd be moving in with you now she's permanently based here," he looked a bit sheepish at his assumption.

"It's too soon for us to even be thinking about that Danny. We're just seeing where things go. She might join us for dinner though, if that's alright?"

"Yeah, yeah of course it is."

"You sure?" Steve thought Danny still seemed uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I just didn't want to feel," he waved his hand vaguely in the air, "You know, like a gooseberry."

"A gooseberry?"

"One of Rachel's favourite sayings… I don't want to be the third wheel," he raised an eyebrow hoping that Steve would get it this time, the conversation was becoming uncomfortable.

Steve finally understood that Danny felt uncomfortable at the idea of it being just the two of them with Catherine. The thought hadn't even occurred to him since he knew the two seemed to get along. He made a mental note to invite all the ohana over if Cath came to his for dinner, then there would be no need for Danny to feel like a third wheel. "You won't be Danny, I promise."

"OK," Danny let his body settle more comfortably against the bed, in truth he was probably going to be spending a lot of his first couple of days at Steve's sleeping so the pair would have plenty of alone time if they needed it, but it was nice to get a little reassurance from his brother that he wasn't going to be in the way.

The conversation was prevented from going any further as the door opened and one of the nurses, Eve, entered with a tray, "Alright Danny, time for your dinner," she told her patient as she put the tray down and lifted the cover off the bowl that sat on it.

Danny stared at it dubiously, "What is it?"

"Chicken soup, you need something light to start with," Eve moved the table over the bed and helped Danny get comfortable, "Need anything else?"

"No, I'm good, thanks."

"Alright, I'll be back to check on you shortly," she told him before leaving him to his soup.

"Come on Danny, you know Henry said you needed to start eating," Kono tried to encourage her friend.

"I know," he sighed and picked up the spoon, he carefully tasted the soup and grimaced a little.

"How bad?" asked Chin.

"It's fine, just not as good as Mrs Kalakaua's!"

Kono laughed, "Nobody's soup is as good as Mom's!"

"Why don't we leave you to it while we go and get some dinner?" suggested Chin, thinking that maybe Danny didn't need an audience.

"That's a great idea," agreed Danny enthusiastically.

"Come on," Kono grabbed hold of Steve's arm and started pulling him out of the room.

"I'll stay and keep Danno company, you two head off."

"Steve, go with them. I'm fine. I'll still be here when you get back."

"You sure you don't want me to stay?"

"Positive, go!"

Steve reluctantly left the room with Chin and Kono. He knew that lying in a hospital bed with people watching you as you ate felt a little like being under a microscope, but it was hard to leave him on his own after the infection incident. Still it was clear Danny wanted his privacy and it wasn't like he would get much of that while his leg healed, so Steve would give him this.

Danny sighed with relief as he watched his family leave and the door close. He carefully shifted position, wincing at the pain it generated in his leg and then returned his attention to the soup, which really wasn't all that bad. It didn't take long for him to finish the small bowl and it was more than enough. Henry had warned him that his appetite would be impacted by the infection but had also cautioned him about not eating anything. They had agreed on small, light meals to start with because something was better than nothing.

Eve returned and smiled when she saw the empty bowl, "Can I get you anything else Danny?"

"I could use a hand to get to the bathroom."

"Alright, give me a minute," she removed the tray and returned with a pair of crutches and Akela.

"Crutches? Seriously?"

"Yes Danny, you can't put any weight on that leg right now or you'll pull the stitches, not to mention it will hurt," Akela quickly helped him swing both his legs over the edge of the bed until he was sitting.

Danny could believe that walking on his injured leg would hurt given the pain caused just by moving it off the bed but he closed his eyes and took some deep breaths until the wave of pain passed. It took Eve and Akela a couple of attempts to get him steady enough on the crutches but once they did they allowed him to move under his own, limited, steam with Eve pushing the IV pole with them. Part of their patient's recovery was to get him moving but they stayed by his side until he made it to the bathroom where Eve waited outside the door and Akela went in with him. Danny really wanted to protest, but he was tiring quickly and Akela had seen him in all his naked glory anyway so he swallowed his pride and just allowed the nurse to help him take care of business, which included cleaning his teeth and having a wash. The latter was done with him perched on a chair near the sink with Akela running a warm soapy washcloth over his patient's skin, rinsing the cloth and then wiping away the remnants of soap before drying him off. Danny felt much better afterwards as Akela helped him into a pair of clean boxers and a t-shirt. The New Jersey man reminded himself to thank Kono and Chin for bringing him his toiletries and clean clothing to wear. Akela and Eve then helped him settle back into bed, his injured leg raised slightly on a pillow with the sheet being kept off by a cage.

"Thanks," Danny told the pair of nurses.

"It's our job," Akela dismissed his thanks.

"Yeah, but it's still nice to get a thank you," retorted Danny, knowing himself that it didn't take a minute to show gratitude, even if it was for someone just doing their job.

"How's the pain?" asked Eve, pulling the sheets up around his chest after adjusting the head of the bed so he was now lying down.

"Not as bad as it was, but not as good as it could be."

"In other words it's time for some more pain relief," Akela told her. She smiled knowingly at her colleague and left the room, returning a short time later with a syringe filled with Danny's next dose of pain medication.

Danny closed his eyes and let the warm feeling spread through his veins and pull him under, exhausted from the combination of the trauma, medication and his jaunt to the bathroom.

-5-0-

"Is he alright?" asked Steve as he stood with Chin and Kono outside Danny's room having just entered the room to see Eve and Akela standing next to Danny's bed.

Akela had quickly ushered them out as Eve finished settling him for the night, hopefully, "Yes, he's fine. He finished his soup and wanted to go to the bathroom. I gave him a strip wash…"

"Oh I bet he loved that," Kono broke in a bit of an evil glimmer in her eye.

"Then when he got back to bed he was given his next dose of medication," Akela continued as if Kono hadn't even spoken, used to the interruptions from various team members, "Between that and the trip to the bathroom using crutches he's exhausted. Sleep is the best thing for him now," he assured them.

"I'm going to stay with him," Steve stated, crossing his arms and just daring Akela to disagree.

"Of course you are," responded the nurse with a roll of his eyes, not even slightly intimidated.

"Chin, Kono why don't you guys head home?"

"Alright, but we'll be back in the morning so that you can go home and get some rest," Chin told the SEAL.

"I'll be fine."

"Brah, if Danny is released tomorrow you'll need to have had some rest," Kono folded her own arms and gave a glare worthy of Steve.

"Fine," the man held up his hands, knowing she was right, "I'll see you in the morning."

Chin and Kono left while Steve took up position next to Danny's bed, not taking his eyes off his brother in case something else went wrong.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Thank you for all the alerts and reviews for this story, each and every one of them is appreciated, not to mention those who read but don't review/alert, I appreciate you just as much!

I'm so sorry it's taken so long to put up this final chapter (2 weekends away in a row kind of put the kibosh on any writing!) and it's probably a bit of a disappointment because it's so short. I didn't intend it to be it just kind of felt like the right place to end it. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 9

Steve hovered anxiously at Danny's side as he made his way from the car into the house. Despite Henry's assurances that the detective was now fit enough to be discharged and had a good enough handle on the use of the crutches to be safe getting around, Steve was still worried. One tumble could put Danny back in the hospital again; rip his stitches, maybe even set off another infection. A part of him knew he was being irrational but the other part, the one that screamed he'd nearly lost his brother, just wanted to protect him from any and all dangers.

Danny for his part was busy concentrating on not inelegantly face planting in Steve's driveway. He could see Steve hovering in his peripheral vision but let it slide knowing that there would be other battles to fight in the coming days and giving Steve some room now might make it easier to win later ones.

It wasn't a huge surprise when the front door opened to reveal Chin and Kono since their cars were parked outside Steve's house. It was a little bit of a surprise to see Malia and Catherine once he entered, though Danny guessed he really shouldn't be that shocked by it, given that they had quickly become members of the 5-0 ohana. Something told Danny he would be seeing a lot more of both ladies while he recovered from his injury.

"How about you go and lay down for a bit?" suggested Steve hesitantly as they entered the living area.

Danny groaned, "I'm fed up of lying around Steven."

"You need to rest Danno. You're still not completely over the effects of the allergic reaction and fever. Not to mention you need to rest your leg," Steve responded, not unreasonably he thought.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Malia asked stepping in before a full blown argument could ensue. Both men glanced at each other and then back at Malia, before nodding their agreement. "The recliner would be suitable for the time being. It's not lying around as such but the foot rest will help support your injured leg. It should allow you to sit up comfortably."

"Good idea," Danny was quick to agree and slowly make his way over to the suggested piece of furniture and lower himself into it with a little assistance from Malia. There was no way he was giving Steve a chance to even open his mouth to protest.

"Are you comfortable?" asked Malia once Danny was settled.

"Yes, thank you," he gave her a happy smile, content to be out of the hospital even if he wasn't at his own home. After all Steve's place was a regular stopping place for him these days.

"If you need anything just ask," Steve told his friend, "No over doing it."

"I will Mom," Danny rolled his eyes.

"Daniel…" Steve practically growled his name in frustration.

"Steve, I promise if I need help I'll ask for it, I promise not to overdo things and that you'll be the first to know if something isn't right, OK?" Danny got serious seeing the concern in his brother's eyes.

"OK," Steve smiled and headed off to get drinks for everyone.

"He's just worried about you," Catherine spoke quietly as she sat on the end of the couch nearest the recliner.

"Yeah, I know," Danny wiped a hand over his face, "It's just I'm… I'm not used to this."

"This? Can you be a little more specific?"

"I'm used to doing the worrying! I worried about Rachel, then Grace and now this ohana has been added to the list of people to worry about…"

"Do you think nobody ever worries about you?" Catherine watched him closely as he answered.

"No, it's not that. I know Rachel worried, hell it's one of the things that destroyed our marriage, but I've always been the big brother, the eldest son, the husband, the father…"

"You've always been the one to look out for everyone else," Malia sat down on the arm of the couch next to Catherine and reached over to take his hand, "Now it's time to let someone look out for you while you heal."

"I'm not sure I know how," mumbled Danny, but both women heard him loud and clear.

"Well for a start you let Steve help you when you need it, there's absolutely nothing for you to be ashamed or embarrassed about. He wants to help you," pointed out Catherine.

"When something gets too much, like Steve hovering, then you call one of us, we'll get him out of your hair for a while and give you both a break," Malia stated, knowing the two men well enough to know they were going to drive each other crazy on occasion and Danny wasn't in any shape to get away.

"All I can say is I'll try," replied Danny.

"That's all we ask Danny," Malia told him; she got up and planted a kiss on his temple.

"Hey! What's going on here?" demanded Chin as he entered the room, drinks in hand, the twinkle in his eye and smile belying any bite in his words.

"Just a little pep talk, nothing for you to worry about," Malia walked over and kissed her husband on the lips.

"Alright then," he returned the kiss, not asking for further details, trusting that his wife had it in hand, "Here you are Danny," he handed the injured man a glass of orange juice.

"Thanks man," he gratefully took the glass and drank some of the cool liquid, enjoying the taste of the freshly squeezed juice.

Kono came through next carrying a bowl with some soup that her Mom had made, "Here you go brah, a present from my Mom, a nice bowl of the chicken soup that you love so much. There's more in Steve's freezer as well as some tomato soup she made. She told me to tell you that once you're up to eating something more substantial she'll send across a casserole for you."

"Your Mom is an angel," Danny told Kono as he accepted the bowl of warm liquid after placing the juice on the small table next to the recliner. He closed his eyes happily at his first taste and almost groaned in pleasure.

Kono laughed at his antics while Chin just shook his head. He knew what a great cook his aunt was and since Danny enjoyed his food so much he wasn't surprised that he was a fan.

It only took an hour before Danny was starting to show signs that the last dose of pain medication that he'd had before he left the hospital was starting to wear off. Steve spotted it immediately and disappeared without a word, returning quickly and handing two capsules and a bottle of water to Danny, who took them without complaint.

The injured man glanced at Catherine and Malia before turning his attention back to Steve, "Give me a hand up babe? I think I need to lay down for a bit."

The women smiled in approval as Steve carefully helped Danny put the chair back into a fully upright position and steadied him once he was standing until he could get the crutches in the correct place. The two men then made their way to the bedroom on the ground floor that had been made ready for Danny's arrival. Steve pulled back the covers on the bed and then helped Danny out of the sweat pants he was in and allowed him to take off his own t-shirt, once he was just in his boxers he assisted with getting Danny's injured leg onto the bed without knocking it and settled a pillow underneath to help support it.

"Thanks Steve," murmured Danny as he settled into the pillows and closed his eyes.

"You're welcome. Shout if you need anything."

"'K," Danny was already almost asleep.

Steve smiled as he left the room, leaving the door open enough to hear if Danny called for him. His brother was safe and under his roof now and the SEAL could relax a little as he helped him heal… as his ohana helped him heal.

-5-0-

**A/N:** Alright so there are some things here that I know haven't been addressed. This is intentional as there may be a sequel... no promises as I have another idea to get out of my head first! Failing that you'll just have to use your own imaginations (which I know are substantial) for Danny's recovery. Thank you again for joining me on this journey, it's been fun!


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